The city witnessed its first measles-related death in almost ten years on Wednesday: the death of a six-year-old child who had not received the vaccine. With a baby on the way, Leah could potentially endanger her unborn child’s health if she contracts the virus, despite being immunized. Her pediatrician also urged her to proceed with her older son's second dose of the vaccine—the complete course of immunization—since the risk to his health has increased. “Mentally, it's taking a toll on me, thinking about not only myself and my child but also the people I have to be around," said Leah, who requested to remain anonymous for privacy reasons.
The outbreak in Texas started in a small Mennonite town with 260,000 residents close to Lubbock and has since spread. Over 130 instances have been reported in Texas and New Mexico, with 18 victims admitted to the hospital, according to local health officials. Robert F Kennedy Jr., the nation's newly confirmed top health officer, declared the Texas outbreak "not unusual" on Wednesday, a remark that doctors and residents reject.
Public health experts and Lubbock residents say the health secretary's previous views regarding childhood immunizations, as well as measures he's made since taking office, might feed an outbreak causing concern among parents in Texas and neighboring states. Ms. Wells is particularly concerned about people who cannot receive the vaccine, which is a highly contagious disease that spreads rapidly through surfaces and the air, as well as through the coughing, sneezing, and breathing of an infected person. The virus, which causes fever, red rash, cough, and other symptoms, is also linked to a variety of consequences, including pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death.
Immunocompromised individuals, children under the age of one, and pregnant women are not eligible for measles vaccination. Kyle Rable, a Lubbock resident, is expecting a new baby. His wife is nine months pregnant and wants to give birth at the same hospital where the patient died of measles.
