Second Child Dies of Measles in Texas Even As Outbreak Continues

The outbreak of measles claimed the life of a second child in Texas, prompting a visit from President Donald Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. According to news reports, Kennedy attended the child's funeral on Sunday.

The eight-year-old girl, identified as Daisy Hildebrand, died from measles pulmonary failure while she was being treated at a hospital in Lubbock—the epicentre of a highly contagious virus that has affected nearly 500 people across the United States.

Daisy's death is the third one tied to the outbreak of the disease in a decade, which spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Mexico. Previously, an elementary school-aged child in Texas and another adult in New Mexico succumbed to the disease; neither was vaccinated.

On social media, Kennedy wrote that he was working to “control the outbreak" and went to Gaines County to comfort the families who had buried two young children. He was seen late Sunday afternoon outside of a Mennonite church where the funeral services were held, but he did not attend a nearby news conference held by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the state authorities, the girl had not been vaccinated against the disease and had no underlying health conditions that contributed to her death.

Despite his past as a vocal vaccine sceptic, Kennedy acknowledged that the MMR vaccine was the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles. “The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the M.M.R. vaccine,” he wrote on X. “I’ve spoken to Governor Abbott, and I’ve offered HHS’ continued support. At his request, we have redeployed CDC teams to Texas. We will continue to follow Texas’ lead and to offer similar resources to other affected jurisdictions.”

The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine has been used safely for more than 60 years and is 97 per cent effective against measles after two doses. According to public health officials, the region is expected to continue the outbreak for at least a year, putting the area's measles elimination status — which it earned in 2000 — at risk.

Measles is a highly contagious illness caused by a virus. It causes widespread rash and flu-like symptoms, but it is not just a rash. Doctors say it can make you extremely ill and cause life-threatening complications like brain inflammation and pneumonia. It also leads to other infections.

Before it was part of routine childhood immun, measles caused millions of deaths around the world. There is no specific treatment or cure.

A few signs and symptoms of measles include:

• High fever
• Barky cough
• Red or bloodshot eyes
• Runny nose
• Fatigue and tiredness
• Red spots with white centers in your mouth
• Skin rashes
• Extreme diarrhoea stomachache and vomiting
• Sore throat
• Muscle pain
• Headache

According to doctors, the symptoms of measles do not appear all at once. It starts with fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes and proceeds with spots two to three days later and fades when the rash begins. The rash appears three to five days after your initial symptoms start. A high fever may develop with the rash.

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Health and around the world.