MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Texas Health officials say one person has died so far from the state's measles outbreak. There are now at least 124 confirmed cases. From member station KTTZ, Samantha Larned reports authorities are afraid the virus's spread is still in its early stages.
SAMANTHA LARNED, BYLINE: The patient was an unvaccinated, school-aged child who had been hospitalized at Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock since last week. Health officials confirmed yesterday that the death was caused by complications with the measles virus. No further details were provided.
Dr. Amy Thompson is the chief executive officer for Covenant Health, a regional health network based in Lubbock. She said around 20 patients had been admitted for measles, several requiring intensive care.
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AMY THOMPSON: And as you can see from today's news, this virus can have severe and deadly consequences.
LARNED: The last reported measles death in the U.S. was in 2015. The outbreak was first identified in late January in Gaines County. Since then, cases have been confirmed in at least nine Texas counties. Health officials fear there are more measles cases that have not yet been identified. While early cases were traced to remote West Texas communities, it has now sparked health concerns statewide.
Rockwall County, next to Dallas, confirmed its first measles case in an unvaccinated adult on Wednesday. The county's health authority says the case is not believed to be tied to the outbreak in West Texas. Earlier this week, a public health alert was issued in the San Antonio area after a person with measles traveled there from Gaines County earlier this month. So far, there are no confirmed cases in that region.
On Wednesday, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said the department is following the situation and that measles outbreaks are, quote, "not unusual," unquote, and happen every year.
Covenant Health's chief medical officer, Dr. Lara Johnson, says there is a higher risk of complications - such as respiratory issues - for unvaccinated patients than for those who are vaccinated. Given the low vaccination rate of the most affected areas, Johnson expects cases to continue rising.
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LARA JOHNSON: Unfortunately, statistically, there's a significant risk of having a death. I certainly hope we don't see any more, but I think we're fairly early still in this outbreak.
LARNED: Health officials recommend those who are experiencing symptoms or have had a measles exposure stay at home and call a health care provider, rather than going into a doctor's office waiting room and risking further exposure.
For NPR News, I'm Samantha Larned in Lubbock. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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