LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) – An individual hospitalized with measles has tragically passed away in West Texas, marking the first fatality in an outbreak that commenced towards the end of the previous month. Melissa Whitfield, spokesperson for the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, confirmed the heartbreaking news on Wednesday. The exact age of the patient who succumbed to the disease overnight remains undisclosed. Following the incident, Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock refrained from providing an immediate response to requests for comments.
The measles outbreak in the rural expanses of West Texas has now escalated to 124 confirmed cases spanning across nine counties, as per the latest update from the state health department released on Tuesday. Additionally, a total of nine cases have been reported in eastern New Mexico. Measles, characterized as a highly contagious respiratory virus, can linger in the air for up to two hours. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 9 out of 10 individuals exposed to the virus, if susceptible, are likely to contract it. Although most children infected with measles tend to recover, the infection can lead to severe complications such as pneumonia, blindness, encephalitis, and even death.
The outbreak primarily appears to be spreading within the close-knit Mennonite community situated in an area where small towns are interspersed amidst vast expanses of oil rig-studded open land. The interconnectedness of these towns, facilitated by people commuting between them for work, religious gatherings, grocery shopping, and other daily activities, has contributed to the rapid dissemination of the virus.
***Correction:*** *Melissa Whitfield from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center provided the confirmation of the death, not the spokesperson for the city of Lubbock.*
*The Health and Science Department of The Associated Press receives support from the Science and Educational Media Group of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP bears sole responsibility for all its content.*
