OAN Staff Blake Wolf
4:26 PM – Sunday, April 6, 2025
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attended the funeral of a child who passed away after contracting measles, the second child to die after contracting the virus.
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“I came to Gaines County, Texas, today to comfort the Hildebrand family after the loss of their 8-year-old daughter Daisy. I got to know the family of 6-year-old Kayley Fehr after she passed away in February. I also developed bonds with and deep affection for other members of this community during that difficult time. My intention was to come down here quietly to console the families and to be with the community in their moment of grief,” Kennedy wrote in a Sunday X post.
“I am also here to support Texas health officials and to learn how our HHS agencies can better partner with them to control the measles outbreak, which as of today, there are 642 confirmed cases of measles across 22 states, 499 of those in Texas,” he continued.
The second child who passed away on Thursday died from “what the child’s doctor described as measles pulmonary failure,” and was not burdened with underlying health conditions, according to a news release from the Texas health department.
The most recent death was the third confirmed measles-related death within the recent outbreak, as another child passed away in Texas, along with an adult in New Mexico, both of whom had not received a measles vaccine.
The deaths are believed to be the first fatalities in the U.S. connected to the disease in a decade.
Seminole, Texas, is believed to be the epicenter of the outbreak, as health officials have begun calling on the public to vaccinate their children against the virus.
Although Kennedy did not call for widespread vaccinations, he went on to add that the vaccine is the “most effective way to prevent the spread of measles.”
“In early March, I deployed a CDC team to bolster local and state capacity for response across multiple Texas regions, supply pharmacies and Texas run clinics with needed MMR vaccines and other medicines and medical supplies, work with local schools and healthcare facilities to support contact investigations, and to reach out to communities, including faith leaders, to answer any questions or respond to locations seeking healthcare. Since that time, the growth rates for new cases and hospitalizations have flattened,” Kennedy wrote.
“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine. I’ve spoken to Governor Abbott, and I’ve offered HHS’ continued support. At his request, we have redeployed CDC teams to Texas. We will continue to follow Texas’ lead and to offer similar resources to other affected jurisdictions.”
Meanwhile, a Center for Disease Control (CDC) spokesperson encouraged individuals to speak with their doctor regarding vaccination, while stopping short of calling on the public to outright get the vaccine, according to the Associated Press.
The CDC spokesperson added that the American public “should be informed about the potential risks and benefits associated with vaccines.”
Additionally, GOP Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) was more assertive in calling for vaccinations, writing: “Not publicly known if the child was vaccinated, but almost certainly not. Everyone should be vaccinated! This is no treatment for measles. No benefit to getting measles. Top health officials should say so unequivocally [before] another child dies.”
The virus is also believed to have spread to at least 21 states so far this year, according to NBC News.
The factors leading to the Texas measles outbreak is currently unknown, although the vaccination rate in Gaines County, where the outbreak originated, is particularly low.
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