Possible second measles death in US, New Mexico officials say. Both deaths unvaccinated
An unvaccinated adult in New Mexico tested positive for measles after dying, state health officials announced Thursday.
The patient would be the second measles death in 2025 — and the second in the United States in a decade — following an unvaccinated school-age child who died in late February in nearby West Texas amid a growing outbreak of nearly 160 people identified as infected from the highly contagious disease. The outbreak, which is suspected to have spread to eastern New Mexico, is the nation's largest in six years.
The New Mexico resident didn't seek medical care before dying, but the person tested positive for measles, according to a state Department of Health news release. The person's cause of death is under investigation.
State health officials released no further details about the deceased person, though officials said the new case was not among the state's nine prior identified cases. Health department spokesperson David Morgan said this would be the state's first measles death in at least 40 years, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has records dating back to 1985.
“We don’t want to see New Mexicans getting sick or dying from measles,” Dr. Chad Smelser, the deputy state epidemiologist for New Mexico's health department, said in a statement. “The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is the best protection against this serious disease.”
All of New Mexico's 10 cases — six adults and four children under the age of 17 — are in Lea County, which borders the Texas outbreak's epicenter in Gaines County. In Texas, there have been at least 22 hospitalizations. Before the New Mexico resident who died, the state's nine previous cases didn't require hospitalization.
Cases have been overwhelmingly among people who were not vaccinated or had no known vaccination status. Officials and experts have stressed vaccination is the best protection against measles.
This story was updated to clarify the cause of death.