A rapidly spreading outbreak of measles in Texas has killed two people, US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy, Jr, said yesterday.
They are the first mortalities from measles in the US in nearly a decade.
One of those victims was an unvaccinated child who died in a Texas hospital after testing positive for measles, according to the state’s health department.
Secretary Kennedy, who was speaking at the first cabinet meeting for President Donald Trump’s current term, did not give any information on the other victim and the BBC was not able to confirm the death.
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported on Tuesday that it was aware of 124 cases diagnosed since the outbreak began in early January, up from 90 cases on Friday. Almost all cases – 101 – were in patients 17 and younger.
The US declared measles “eliminated” in 2000, but the country has seen outbreaks in recent years amid a rise in anti-vaccine sentiment. The last US measles death was in 2015.
