Originally published by our sister publication Infectious Disease Special Edition
By Marie Rosenthal, MS
A school-age child who was not vaccinated died from measles in a Lubbock, Texas, hospital. This was the first U.S. measles death since 2015.
The child was hospitalized last week and tested positive for measles, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
“As a pediatrician, I am heartbroken to learn that a child has died from measles. This is a tragic and devastating loss, and our thoughts are with the family and community affected. One death from a preventable disease is one too many,” said Susan Kressly, MD, FAAP, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“No parent should have to experience the loss of a child to a preventable disease. Vaccines save lives. Pediatricians are here to talk with families about their child’s health, including how they can access vaccines. We must support immunization programs so that children in every community get the opportunity to grow up healthy and strong.”
As of Feb. 26, 124 cases of measles, mostly among children, have been confirmed since late January in Texas. Eighteen people have been hospitalized over the course of the outbreak. Most of the cases are among unvaccinated people.
During a measles outbreak, about 1 in 5 infected people will be hospitalized, and 1 in 20 will develop pneumonia. Although rare, measles can lead to encephalitis and death. It can also cause pregnancy complications, such as premature birth and babies with low birth weight.
Measles is one of the most highly contagious viruses, and a person is contagious about four days before the rash appears to four days afterward. The health department warned people who think they have measles or were exposed to it to isolate and notify their healthcare provider before arriving to be tested. (For more about recognizing and responding to measles, watch this interview.)
Although it has the most cases in this outbreak, Texas is not the only state to see measles this year. Seven other states—Alaska, California, Georgia, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Rhode Island—are also seeing cases, according to the CDC. Most of the people with measles have not been vaccinated, and several appear related to international travel.
“Measles is making a comeback globally. Many countries, including the United States, and travel destinations such as Europe, Asia, the Pacific and Africa are experiencing measles outbreaks. This resurgence is largely attributed to reintroduction by international travelers, low vaccination rates among children following the COVID-19 pandemic, and anti-vaccination sentiment,” the New Jersey Department of Health said on its website after announcing its case in Bergen County.
Nine countries in the European Union have reported measles cases in 2025: Austria (47), Czechia (six), Finland (one), Germany (26), Ireland (29), Lithuania (one), the Netherlands (26), Romania (918) and Spain (64), according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Last year, 16,510 cases of measles were reported; most were among children younger than 5 years of age. The highest rates were observed in infants younger than 12 months of age (517.8 cases per 1 million) and children from 12 months to 4 years (298.5 cases per 1 million), according to the Communicable Disease Threats Report, Feb. 15-21, 2025, week 8. Most of the European cases were also among unvaccinated people.
“The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine prepares children’s immune systems to detect and resist these viruses, protecting them from serious illness. The reason many parents in the U.S. have not had to worry about measles in decades is because of widespread immunization with this safe and effective vaccine. However, when immunization rates drop in a community, the disease can spread, putting our most vulnerable—especially young children—at risk,” Dr. Kressly said.
Despite the high number of cases and the first death in 10 years, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a cabinet briefing the outbreak was not unusual, according to several news reports. “Incidentally, there have been four measles outbreaks this year in this country,” he said. “Last year, there were 16. So it’s not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year.”
