A child who was not vaccinated has died from measles in West Texas, the first death in an outbreak that began late last month and the first from measles in the U.S. since 2015.

The death was a “school-aged child who was not vaccinated” and had been hospitalized last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services said Wednesday in a statement. Lubbock health officials also confirmed the death, but neither agency provided more details. A news conference is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office.

MBFC
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  • @aesthelete
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    1 hour ago

    We did it, America! From the brink of eradication all the way to killing children in Texas in around a decade! We’re number one! We’re number one!

  • @[email protected]
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    385 hours ago

    I feel sorry for the kid, but at the same time, I hope the funeral is the most painful, drawn out event for their parents, that everyone who comes lets them know exactly whose fault it is that their child is dead. I hope it’s a learning experience for them.

    • @[email protected]
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      220 minutes ago

      Unfortunately, no one in the antiVax is going to change their minds until it hits them very close. That kids first cousins might, maybe, get vaxed. More likely, they’ll blame it on the hospital, or the flu.

      Even if they’re willing to admit that the vaccination would have saved his life they’re going to be torn getting their other children vaccinated because of the possible negatives they think could happen. In their view it’s a slight chance of death versus guaranteed autism.

      I bet if you go ask them right now they’ll point out that colds Have death rates associated with them. Just another avoidable unavoidable tragedy.

      They’ll refuse to be reasoned with or educated. These people were literally taking horse dewormer and an attempt to avoid vaccines.

      I don’t think that wishing them extra pain is particularly useful. We’re all mad at them but realistically they’re just undereducated, obstinate, and programmed.

    • @[email protected]
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      244 hours ago

      People who don’t get vaccines are stupid.

      They’re not going to learn their lesson; they’re going to think that it was a random act of God without explanation.

      • @Pacattack57
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        31 hour ago

        It is not an uncommon occurrence for evangelical extremists to tell you to be grateful your child or whoever is dead because they get to be with God. These people are mental.

      • @[email protected]
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        142 minutes ago

        Yeah this whole thread is a bit gross.

        I mean the parents are stupid, perhaps even criminally negligent, but they were probably acting with the best of intentions and genuinely thought they were protecting their child. It’s incredibly sad.

  • @Itdidnttrickledown
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    63 hours ago

    Murder charge for the parents. But of course that kinda thing can’t be prevented. /s

  • @clutchtwopointzero
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    23 hours ago

    Not the last, unfortunately, and given MAGA voters lack of empathy for others, only those who suffer this completely avoidable loss might (or not) learn, and those who do learn will be ostracized by their fellow MAGA

  • Doug Holland
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    64 hours ago

    At last, my child is safe from the perils of autism!

  • @xc2215x
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    276 hours ago

    Expect more of this.

  • @Sam_Bass
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    23 hours ago

    Parents should be charged

  • @[email protected]
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    829 hours ago

    That child died because their parents are fucking morons. They should be held accountable.

    • @NatakuNox
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      166 hours ago

      Yup. Or if you don’t vacate yourself or your children you shouldn’t be allowed to travel, go to events, and you get medical care in a tent outside

      • Drusas
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        84 hours ago

        As a person with a weakened immune system, I am totally with you on that.

      • @NJSpradlin
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        4 hours ago

        But, you can’t restrict my freedom! I should still get the right to free travel AND the right to die of fully treatable disease, on top of my right to spread them to you! Fuck yeah, America, freedom, 2nd amendment!

        Edit: and God and Trump!

  • @NotMyOldRedditName
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    9 hours ago

    Queue the childs parents: If only we’d known how dangerous measles was we’d have gotten our child vaccinated!

    • @[email protected]
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      295 hours ago

      If only this country could’ve been founded by people who knew the heartbreak of losing a child to a preventable disease.

      In 1736, I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the small-pox, taken in the common way. I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if the child died under it: my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen. -Benjamin Franklin

    • @Mr_Dr_Oink
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      44 hours ago

      This isn’t relevant to your comment, but out of curiosity. Have i been using the wrong cue in this context? It is cue and not queue, right? Like cue ball or cue the music, meaning begin or start and not queue like lining up or waiting your turn?

    • @MuskyMelon
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      309 hours ago

      Nah, they’ll wish there was a way to protect their child from dangerous childhood diseases and that the fascist medical system failed them.

      • @NotMyOldRedditName
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        428 hours ago

        Ah, also another classic.

        A big storm approaches. The weatherman urges everyone to get out of town. The priest says, “I won’t worry, God will save me”.

        The morning of the storm, the police go through the neighborhood with a sound truck telling everyone to evacuate. The priest says “I won’t worry, God will save me”.

        The storm drains back up and there is an inch of water standing in the street. A fire truck comes by to pick up the priest. He tells them “Don’t worry, God will save me.”

        The water rises another foot. A National Guard truck comes by to rescue the priest. He tells them “Don’t worry, God will save me.”

        The water rises some more. The priest is forced up to his roof. A boat comes by to rescue the priest. He tells them “Don’t worry, God will save me.”

        The water rises higher. The priest is forced up to the very top of his roof. A helicopter comes to rescue the priest. He shouts up at them “Don’t worry, God will save me.”

        The water rises above his house, and the priest drowns.

        When he gets up to heaven he says to God “I’ve been your faithful servant ever since I was born! Why didn’t you save me?”

        God replies "First I sent you a fire truck, then the national guard, then a boat, and then a helicopter. What more do you want from me!!??

        • @[email protected]
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          74 hours ago

          I’ve been urging my wife to use this parable on her elderly parents who keep refusing our help. They sold their house about 20 years ago and used the money to buy an RV so they could travel around the US… while they waited for the rapture to take them up to heaven.

          They blew all their retirement savings and now they’re living in a trailer park trying to deal with a multitude of medical issues for which they don’t have insurance. Because they never expected to live this long. And they keep saying they’re waiting for god to send them a solution to their problems.

          • @NotMyOldRedditName
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            43 hours ago

            dang, sorry to hear you’re having to go through this with her parents =(

        • Amon
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          148 hours ago

          That is literally Noah’s ark from the POV no one talks about

  • @TheCelticPirate
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    16711 hours ago

    That poor kid. Easily preventable if they didn’t have stupid parents. At what point can we hold the parents accountable?

    • @[email protected]
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      33 hours ago

      We’ve done that up here, for parents trying to treat childhood illnesses with distilled water and kale smoothies. Parents went to jail, grandparents are raising the child, if I remember right.

    • @[email protected]
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      10 hours ago

      When the parents are irresponsible, most other nations step in and make the responsible choice for their children in their place, whether the dumb parents like it or not.

      But in the US, the state is even more irresponsible than the parents.

      What a sad, sad country it has become…

    • @MeekerThanBeaker
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      -711 hours ago

      Pretty sure they are suffering from their stupidity already.

      • Dr. Zoidberg
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        4810 hours ago

        The only one that suffered, and paid any consequences, was that poor kid. They should be charged with child endangerment, and probably manslaughter, since this was completely avoidable.

        • TipRing
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          1410 hours ago

          I think in Texas it would be criminally negligent homicide, but I doubt the conservative justice system there will punish anyone for intentionally not preventing a deadly disease.

          • Billiam
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            119 hours ago

            I think in Texas it would be criminally negligent homicide

            Nah, it wasn’t a fetus so this is just a perfectly normal case of God’s Will.

      • @[email protected]
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        610 hours ago

        I’m pretty sure they’d say that god’s plan, like every other bit of knowledge that might improve their lives, is unfathomable.

        Despite most of the rest of the world fathoming it just fine.