A New Mexico adult infected with measles has died, state officials said Thursday.
The death comes eight days after an unvaccinated child in Texas died from the disease during a growing outbreak in the state that has infected nearly 160 people.
The adult was not vaccinated and didn’t seek medical help before dying, although the cause of death is still under investigation.
The victim lived just across the state line from the west Texas region where the outbreak is centered.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MEASLES OUTBREAK
“We don’t want to see New Mexicans getting sick or dying from measles,” Dr. Chad Smelser, deputy state epidemiologist, said. “The measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is the best protection against this serious disease.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said earlier this week it would send a team to help respond to the outbreak in Texas.
The adult is the 10th person in Lea County, New Mexico, confirmed to have contracted measles.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Fox News this week he recommended measles vaccines for community immunity during the outbreak, but he also continues to advocate for personal choice.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: MEASLES OUTBREAK IS A CALL TO ACTION FOR ALL OF US
“We’re going to do what’s right for the American people,” Kennedy told Marc Siegel, Fox News’ senior medical analyst. “We’re going to be honest with the American people for the first time in history about all the tests, about all the studies, what we know, what we don’t know, and that’s going to anger some people who want an ideological approach to public health.”
The Texas Department of State Health Services said the majority of those infected are unvaccinated children.
The outbreak began in late January.
The CDC recommends “all children get two doses of MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine,” according to its website, adding that adults who don’t have “presumptive evidence of immunity should get at least one dose of MMR vaccine.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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