On Sunday, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported a school-aged child died of measles infection — the second known fatality related to the state’s current measles outbreak since February 26.
The child, who tested positive for measles and was hospitalized in Lubbock, was not vaccinated and had no reported underlying conditions, according the department. The child reportedly died of “measles pulmonary failure” on April 6.
According to an April 4th update, the state has documented 481 cases of measles and 56 hospitalizations, with approximately 74% of cases occurring in children under age 18 and only 2.1% occurring in vaccinated individuals.
This is the third measles-related fatality in the United States in 2025, including a New Mexico adult who died in March and tested positive for the virus post-mortem.
Prior to this year, the last measles-related fatality in the United States was documented in 2015.
The virus was declared “eliminated” in the US in 2000.
However, there have been 607 cases detected so far in 2025, according to an April 4 update by the CDC.
Image: Measles Virus Particle. Colorized transmission electron micrograph of a measles virus particle (red). Credit: microscopy by CDC; layout, colorization and visual effects by NIAID.
