Aaron Davis, a spokesperson for UMC Health System in Lubbock, Texas, said that the child was "receiving treatment for complications of measles while hospitalized" and was not vaccinated. The hospital declined to say which day the child died. Doctors said she had no other health conditions and died from measles pulmonary failure.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. traveled to Gaines County on Sunday. In a post on X, he said he was there "to comfort the Hildebrand family after the loss of their 8-year-old daughter Daisy."
"I am also here to support Texas health officials and to learn how our HHS agencies can better partner with them to control the measles outbreak, which as of today, there are 642 confirmed cases of measles across 22 states, 499 of those in Texas," Kennedy said on X.
I came to Gaines County, Texas, today to comfort the Hildebrand family after the loss of their 8-year-old daughter Daisy. I got to know the family of 6-year-old Kayley Fehr after she passed away in February. I also developed bonds with and deep affection for other members of…
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) April 6, 2025More than two months in, the West Texas outbreak is believed to have spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas, sickening nearly 570 people. The World Health Organization also reported cases related to Texas in Mexico.
Measles cases double from last year
As of the latest CDC update on Friday, April 4, the U.S. has confirmed at least 607 measles cases so far this year, which is more than double the number of cases it saw in all of 2024. There have been cases in at least 21 states, including Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico and New York. The CBS News data team is tracking confirmed measles cases nationwide as state health departments and the CDC continue to release data. This map is updated with new data from the CDC on Fridays.
Sunday, Kennedy said in a post on X that "The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine."
Dr. Peter Marks, the Food and Drug Administration's former vaccine chief, said responsibility for the death rests with Kennedy and his staff. Marks was forced out of the FDA after disagreements with Kennedy over vaccine safety.
Marks also said he recently warned U.S. senators that more deaths would occur if the administration didn't mount a more aggressive response to the outbreak. Kennedy has been called to testify before the Senate health committee on Thursday.
"Measles, as we know, it's a preventable disease. Unfortunately, a majority of the cases that we're seeing right now in the outbreak are in unvaccinated people," Garcia Carreno said.
"They need to be seen, and it's very important to try to get the test as early as possible and isolate those people that are suspected to have the measles or have the measles," Garcia Carreno said.
"We do need to have a population that is immune against measles," Garcia Carreno said. "At least 95% of the population needs to be protected, either immune because of the vaccination or because they have a history of having had the infection."
"Unvaccinated adults can receive the vaccine with doses at least 28 days apart," Garcia Carreno said.
"If you get the measles and are unvaccinated, your immune system is going to be suppressed for weeks to months and seven to 10 years later, even more than that, you can have a very fatal, brain inflammation," Garcia Carreno said.
CDC teams deploy
Kennedy said Sunday that in March, he deployed a CDC team "to bolster local and state capacity for response across multiple Texas regions, supply pharmacies and Texas-run clinics with needed MMR vaccines and other medicines and medical supplies, work with local schools and healthcare facilities to support contact investigations, and to reach out to communities, including faith leaders, to answer any questions or respond to locations seeking healthcare."
Experts and local health officials expect the outbreak to go on for several more months if not a year. In West Texas, the vast majority of cases are in unvaccinated people and children younger than 17.
Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the CDC. The first shot is recommended for children ages 12 to 15 months, and the second for ages 4 to 6 years.
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