The West Texas measles crisis claims the life of another child, claiming the second death in an outbreak that burned the area and infected dozens of residents across the border.
Records obtained by the New York Times show that the 8-year-old girl died of “measles lung disorder” at a hospital in Lubbock, Texas. It is the second confirmed death of measles in the United States in a decade.
The first was an unvaccinated child who died in West Texas in February. Another unvaccinated person has died in New Mexico after testing positive for measles, but authorities have not yet confirmed that measles is the cause of the death.
Trump administration officials said Saturday night that the girl's cause of death was “still being seen.”
Since the outbreak began in late January, West Texas has reported 480 measles and 56 hospitalizations. The outbreak has spread to cross-border states, with 54 people in New Mexico and 10 people in Oklahoma sick.
If the virus continues to spread at this rate, the country risks losing its measles exclusion situation, a fierce battle victory it won in 2000. West Texas civil servants predict that the outbreak will last for a year.
The nation's health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, faces intense criticism of his handling of the outbreak. A prominent vaccine skeptic, he provided calm support for vaccination, highlighting untested treatments for measles, such as cod liver oil.
According to a doctor in Texas, his support for alternative treatments has contributed to patients delaying critical care and taking toxic levels of vitamin A.
Experts also fear that the Trump administration's recent decision to dismantle international public health protection measures and withdraw funding from local health departments has increased the chances of a massive multi-stage outbreak.
Measles is one of the most adjacent pathogens. When an infected person leaves the room and the sick person breathes, coughs, or sneezes, the virus can remain in the air for up to two hours.
Within a week or two of exposure, an infected person can develop high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes. Within a few days, it will escape as flat, red spots on the surface, spreading its neck and torso over the rest of the body.
In most cases, these symptoms resolve within a few weeks. However, in rare cases, the virus causes pneumonia, making it difficult for patients, especially children, to put oxygen into the lungs.
It can also cause brain swelling, which can leave permanent problems such as blindness, hearing loss, and intellectual disability.
For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus also damages the body's immune defenses and makes it vulnerable to other pathogens.
Christina Jewellett Reports of contributions.
