A child in West Texas died from measles on Tuesday, marking the first U.S. fatality from the disease since 2015. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services, is facing criticism for “downplaying” the outbreak, stating that such outbreaks are “not unusual.” 

The Details: As of Tuesday, the measles outbreak in Texas spread across nine counties, affecting 124 people, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The outbreak, first confirmed by DSHS on February 5, has also extended to New Mexico, where nine cases have been reported. This week, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health also reported one case of measles in Los Angeles County. The majority of infections have occurred in unvaccinated individuals, primarily school-aged children. Measles was previously declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but has been making a comeback due to rising vaccine hesitancy. 

Key Quotes: “We are following the measles epidemic every day,” Kennedy said during a meeting with President Donald Trump’s cabinet at the White House. “Incidentally, there have been four measles outbreaks this year. In this country last year there were 16. So, it’s not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year.” 

How The Media Covered It: Both Newsweek (Center bias) and NBC News (Lean Left) highlighted Kennedy’s comments, and mentioned his past controversial comments on vaccines. Outlets on the left also addressed confusion over the number of deaths, noting that while Kennedy claimed two fatalities, local health officials confirmed only one measles death. Fox News (Right) linked the outbreak to rising vaccine exemptions and non-compliance. The outlet also compared the outbreak to the current number of hospitalizations from pneumonia cases.