The outbreak so far has led to one death and more than 140 cases.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new U.S. health secretary, said that a measles outbreak in western Texas that has infected more than 100 people and led to one death is a “top priority” for his agency and said that vaccines will be provided.
“Ending the measles outbreak is a top priority for me and my extraordinary team,” Kennedy said in a post on social media platform X on Feb. 28.
My heart goes out to the families impacted by the current measles outbreak in TX. I recognize the serious impact of this outbreak on families, children, and healthcare workers.
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) February 28, 2025
Here at @HHSGov we have:
• Supported Texas Department of Health through technical assistance and…
He said that his agency, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), would send Texas 2,000 doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine through its immunization program.
Additionally, HHS will provide “lab support to better track the virus causing the outbreak,” will communicate “with public health officials every day in all affected areas to support their response and ensure they have the resources they need,” and provide communications to local communities in Low German—the language used by Mennonites.
“We will continue to fund Texas’ immunization program. Ending the measles outbreak is a top priority for me and my extraordinary team at HHS,” Kennedy wrote on the platform.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed in a statement that a child died due to measles in the western Texas outbreak, while state officials in Texas said that more than 146 cases have been identified so far.
The child who died, according to state health officials, was not vaccinated for measles. Officials say that 79 people who were infected with measles were not vaccinated, five were vaccinated with one dose, and 62 were listed as unknown.
“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities,” the Texas health department said Feb. 28, adding that it is “working with local health departments to investigate the outbreak.”
The virus has largely spread among rural, oil rig-dotted towns in West Texas, with cases concentrated in a “close-knit, under-vaccinated” Mennonite community, state health department spokesperson Lara Anton said last week.
