Washington, 7 April (IANS). The third death has been confirmed by measles in the US. The disease began to spread from West Texas in January and is now spreading rapidly.
Recently a school child suffering from measles died in a local hospital in Texas. After this, US Health and Human Services Minister Robert F. Kennedy Junior arrived in Texas. He said, “I have come here to meet the families of the victims and stand with them in this hour of grief.”
This is the second death of a child in Texas and the third death in the whole of America, which is associated with the outbreak of this measles.
Kennedy reported that his department is working closely with Texas health officials. Also, the teams of the Disease Control and Prevention Center (CDC) have also been sent there to prevent the infection.
“Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the most effective way to prevent the disease,” he said.
481 measles cases have been registered in Texas till Friday. According to the data from the State Health Departments, the number has reached 569 across the country, including Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas.
“We are deeply saddened by a statement to Aaron Davis CNN, Vice President of UMC Health System located in Lubbock, Texas, that it is deeply saddened that a school child infected recently died. The child was admitted to the hospital due to the complications of the measles. The child was admitted and there was no other serious illness.”
Although a Trump government official told the New York Times that investigation of the real cause of the child’s death is still going on, the health department has made it clear that it can be dangerous to not get the vaccine.
The first death from measles in Texas in February, the child was also without vaccine. An investigation into a death is also going on in New Mexico.
Most of the cases in Texas are of those who have not got measles vaccine. About 70 percent of these are children and teenagers. Gaens County alone has 66 percent cases and Lubbok County has 7 percent cases. In view of the situation, UMC Health has started offering drive-up measles screening at its emergency care centers.
There have been 54 cases in New Mexico, 10 cases have been reported in Oklahoma and 24 cases in Kansas so far and there is also an investigation into the infection. Health experts say that the real number of measles cases can be very high because many times people do not tell about it, especially in areas where there are no good health facilities or where people hesitate to get vaccinated.
They also say that due to more measles cases in children, the number of children admitted in hospitals may increase, especially young children are more at risk than measles.
At the same time, doctors have strongly criticized Kennedy’s attitude in the spread of this disease. Dr. Paul offite, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Philadelphia Children’s Hospital, accused Kennedy of reducing the trust of the public in vaccines.
The offt said, “The disease has come back because many parents have decided not to get their children vaccinated, and the major reason for this is wrong information spread by people like RFK Junior.”
Kennedy, who has been known for his controversial views on vaccines for a long time, has faced criticism to underestimate the risk of the disease and the importance of vaccination, while the country is facing the most dangerous wave of measles.
-IANS
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