New Mexico Adult Succumbs to Measles; Cause of Death Under Investigation
The recent death is associated with a measles outbreak involving 159 cases in West Texas, which tragically resulted in a child’s death.
On March 6, state health officials announced the death of an adult from New Mexico who contracted measles, although the official cause of death is still pending determination.
Details regarding the individual’s age and demographics have not yet been disclosed. According to a state health department representative, the person was unvaccinated and did not pursue medical assistance.
The individual resided in Lea County, which is near the Texas border where the aforementioned measles outbreak occurred, leading to a child’s unfortunate death. This outbreak represents the highest number of measles cases in Texas in nearly three decades and accounts for the first U.S. fatality from this highly contagious but preventable disease since 2015, as per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, New Mexico health officials have yet to link the death reported on Thursday to the outbreak that started in late January in Texas.
This case marks the 10th confirmed measles infection in Lea County. Out of these, seven involve unvaccinated individuals, while the vaccination status of the remaining three is unknown. Six cases are adults, and the other four involve children under 17.
The CDC announced on March 4 that it would deploy a team to Texas to assist local health officials in tackling the outbreak.
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He emphasized the need for action and directed the CDC and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response to support local health authorities.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated its “efforts include providing technical assistance, laboratory support, vaccines, and therapeutic medications as necessary. The CDC remains in ongoing communication with Texas health officials to ensure a coordinated response to contain the outbreak,” Kennedy added.
While he acknowledged the importance of vaccination, he refrained from instructing parents directly to vaccinate their children, referring to vaccination as a personal decision. He identifies as a “vaccine safety advocate” but has faced criticism for past remarks about childhood vaccines, which he suggested might be linked to autism.
In December 2024, shortly before his return to the White House, President-elect Donald Trump indicated that, should Kennedy be confirmed to lead HHS, he would allow Kennedy to investigate any potential connections between childhood vaccines and autism.
Report contributed by Jeff Louderback and The Associated Press.
