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A second death in connection to the measles outbreak was reported in New Mexico on Thursday.
The death was in Lea County—a resident who was unvaccinated. The county borders Gaines County, where the outbreak is centered.
The official cause of death was not determined, according to the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH), but the presence of the virus was found after the person died. The individual did not seek medical care.
This brought the case number in New Mexico to 10, with seven of those being unvaccinated people.
“We don’t want to see New Mexicans getting sick or dying from measles,” said Dr. Chad Smelser, NMDOH deputy state epidemiologist, as quoted in a statement from the health department. “The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is the best protection against this serious disease.”
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— City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (@SAMetroHealth) February 27, 2025
The update came a day before Texas releases its own status update on measles in the Lone Star State. Data is posted every Tuesday and Friday.
Last Tuesday, state health officials updated the number of confirmed cases to 159. So far, one fatality — an unvaccinated child — has been reported in Texas.
Dr. Greg Poland has studied measles most of his career. He said the severity of the virus is not stressed enough.
"We think of measles as a disease that can kill and cause disability," he said. "About one to three out of every 1,000 who get infected will end up dying. ... [O]nce you get measles, the only thing we can really offer is supportive care. There is no antiviral. There is nothing we can give that's going to reverse it, so ... make a wise decision now, before exposure."
Medical professionals like Poland have stressed the importance of getting the MMR vaccine since the outbreak began. Adults who are unsure of their vaccination status can request records from their primary care providers.
But some people seek out a measles infection, including parents who intentionally expose their unvaccinated children to an infected person during what’s called a “measles party.”
Dr. Jason Bowling, chief epidemiologist with University Health and an infectious disease specialist at UT Health San Antonio, said that type of exposure is far more dangerous than just getting an MMR vaccine.
"We have decades of experience with it. It's very well tolerated," he said. "Serious side effects are extremely rare and continue to be monitored too. So that's completely different than getting exposed to a virus or a vaccine and illness where you can have who knows what course and who knows what complications.
Measles complications can include pneumonia, hearing loss, meningitis, and death.
Bonnie Petrie contributed to this report.
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