MILESFORTIS

Second Measles Death Reported in American Southwest Measles Outbreak.

This time, the patient was an adult who did not seek medical care before death.

In late February, I reported that a child had died of measles in an outbreak reported in West Texas.

Now, there is a second measles death being reported. The second death in the ongoing measles outbreak, this time in New Mexico, involved an unvaccinated adult from Lea County.

The individual did not seek medical care before death, New Mexico health department officials said. The official cause of death is under investigation by New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator. However, the state health department scientific laboratory has confirmed the presence of the measles virus in the person, the state health department said.

The person was a resident of Lea County, where at least 30 cases of measles have been reported. Lea County is just over the border from Gaines County, Texas, where the outbreak is centered. At least seven of the individuals were unvaccinated.

…State officials declined to release the person’s age, sex and underlying medical conditions or disclose whether contact tracing is underway to identify others who may have been exposed to one of the world’s most contagious viruses. The virus is airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs.

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