A second child with measles has died in Texas as the outbreak continues to spread

A second child with measles in Texas has died.

The Texas Department of State Health Services said a school-aged child who tested positive for measles was hospitalized in Lubbock and died on Thursday from what the child’s doctors described as measles pulmonary failure. The child was not vaccinated and had no reported underlying conditions.

The New York Times reported Sunday that the victim was an 8-year-old girl. Lubbock County has had at least 33 confirmed infections since the outbreak began in January in the South Plains region of western Texas. The first child died in Lubbock in February.

Texas health authorities said Friday that the state’s outbreak had grown to 481 confirmed cases in 19 counties, with at least 59 new infections last week. A third of the cases have been in children 4 years old or younger. Nearly all of the patients were unvaccinated, though a total of 10 people have contracted measles after having received at least one dose of vaccine.

Measles can cause life-threatening illness to anyone who is not protected against the virus, state health authorities said. During an outbreak, about 1 in 5 children who get sick will need hospital care and 1 in 20 will develop pneumonia.

“Rarely, measles can lead to swelling of the brain and death. It can also cause pregnancy complications, such as premature birth and babies with low birth weight,” the state health department said Sunday.

Tarrant County health officials issued a warning Friday that someone who later tested positive for the virus had visited Grapevine between March 28 and March 30. The infected person was contagious when they visited the Great Wolf Lodge hotel and waterpark. The person also visited Grapevine Mills Mall on March 29, walked around the mall and ate at the food court.

As of last week, there had been no confirmed measles infections in Tarrant County or elsewhere in the Metroplex. But the virus is one of the most contagious pathogens. Symptoms can appear seven to 14 days after exposure. The virus can linger in the air in a room as long as two hours after a sick person was there.

The most common symptoms are high fiver, cough, conjunctivitis and rash, with serious complications including ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia and encephalitis.

Anyone who was at either of the Grapevine locations March 28-30 and is unvaccinated or unsure of their vaccination status is at risk of contracting measles, Tarrant officials said. Those who are pregnant or immunocompromised and unvaccinated should contact their healthcare provider immediately, officials said.

Tarrant County health authorities have warned that there’s a “high risk” of measles cases here due to lower vaccination rates. The virus is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are unvaccinated.

Here are the latest numbers of measles cases by Texas county as of Friday, April 4, with any changes since Tuesday, April 1:

• Andrews: 1
• Brown: 1
• Cochran: 9 (up from 8)
• Dallam: 7
• Dawson: 20 (up from 14)
• Ector: 8 (up from 5)
• Erath: 1
• Gaines: 315 (up from 280)
• Garza: 2
• Hale: 3 (up from 1)
• Hockley: 3 (up from 2)
• Lamar: 11 (up from 10)
• Lamb: 1
• Lubbock: 33 (up from 27)
• Lynn: 2 (up from 1)
• Martin: 3
• Midland: 1
• Terry: 43 (up from 41)
• Yoakum: 17 (up from 16)

The best way to protect against measles is with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles; one dose is about 93% effective, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

This story was originally published April 6, 2025 at 9:19 AM.

Matt Leclercq

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Matt Leclercq is senior managing editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He previously was an editor at USA Today in Washington, national news editor at Gatehouse Media in Austin, and executive editor of The Fayetteville (NC) Observer. He’s a New Orleans native.