Second measles death in Texas prompts federal response

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the Trump administration is stepping up its response to a growing measles outbreak in Texas after the death of a second unvaccinated child last week.

Kennedy, who attended the child’s funeral over the weekend, posted on X that the federal government is bolstering support to help contain the outbreak in Texas, the epicenter of the surge.

President Donald Trump, however, downplayed the outbreak during remarks on Sunday.

“They’re doing reports on it,” Trump said. “It’s so far a fairly small number of people.”

As of early April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported at least 607 measles cases across 22 states, more than double the total reported in all of 2024.

“The numbers are not promising,” said Josh Michaud, a public health expert at KFF. “We’re seeing what we’re seeing because of the lack of vaccinations. There’s every reason to believe we will continue to see more measles cases going forward.”

Kennedy, a former vaccine skeptic during his presidential campaign, is now urging the public to get the measles vaccine, calling it “the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said the outbreak could have been avoided.

“HHS is clearly not doing enough,” Jeffries said. “These things have real consequences.”

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a physician, is also calling for stronger action. He wants Kennedy to testify before Congress about his agency’s response and efforts to prevent further deaths.

Michaud agrees the administration’s messaging is not enough and argues that cuts to federal health agencies will endanger the public.

“The steps taken by the White House, you know, so far have sort of undermined public health rather than supported public health,” he said. “We’ve seen announcements of funding cuts to state and local public health departments, including ones in Texas and New Mexico, that are affected by the measles outbreaks.”

The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for more information about its current operations in Texas.