A school-aged child who previously tested positive for measles died April 3 from “measles pulmonary failure,” the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported Sunday.
A spokesman for University Medical Center Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, where 8-year-old Daisy Hildebrand died, told The Washington Post she had no known underlying health conditions and was not vaccinated against measles.
Neither the DSHS nor the hospital disclosed what course of treatment the child received after being diagnosed with measles or what strain of measles the child had. Children’s Health Defense (CHD) has not seen the medical records but has requested them from the family.
Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the Hildebrand family and offered support to Texas health officials amid the ongoing outbreak, he said on X.
“My intention was to come down here quietly to console the families and to be with the community in their moment of grief,” Kennedy wrote.
I came to Gaines County, Texas, today to comfort the Hildebrand family after the loss of their 8-year-old daughter Daisy. I got to know the family of 6-year-old Kayley Fehr after she passed away in February. I also developed bonds with and deep affection for other members of…
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) April 6, 2025
Kennedy said the growth rate for new measles cases and hospitalizations in Texas had flattened, and that “the most effective way” to prevent the spread was through measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination. He said the agency had redeployed teams from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to Texas at the request of Gov. Greg Abbott.
As of Sunday, Texas DSHS said 481 cases had been reported in the state since late January and 56 people had been hospitalized.
The latest death was the second reported by Texas health officials as being related to the measles outbreak — the first was a 6-year-old girl who died in February after she developed pneumonia following a measles diagnosis.
After CHD obtained the child’s medical records from her family, pulmonologist and critical care specialist Dr. Pierre Kory, who examined the records, determined the child’s death was caused by medical error, including failure to administer the correct antibiotic in time.
Medical error, although not often reported in the media, is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., according to The BMJ.
Another person, an adult, who died in March in New Mexico, tested positive for measles post-mortem. New Mexico health officials, who told The Defender they have not concluded their investigation, have not confirmed measles as the cause of death.
Last month in New York, a baby died within hours of receiving the MMR vaccine, along with five other shots. Mainstream media, which has extensively covered the measles epidemic and the deaths in Texas, did not cover the 1-year-old’s death.
Kennedy faced criticism for his response to the outbreak, with some arguing he has not been sufficiently vocal about the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. The New York Times said the measles outbreak “called into question his ability to handle a public health crisis.”
The Times also accused CHD of making “unfounded” claims about a medical error leading to the death of the 6-year-old in Texas. However, the Times left out of its reporting that the claim was based on an examination of the child’s medical records by a leading expert.
Serious health risks associated with MMR vaccine
The measles vaccine was first introduced in the U.S. in 1963 but is now available only as a component of the MMR vaccine. The vaccine has significantly reduced the number of reported measles cases, but immunity from the vaccine wanes, according to Physicians for Informed Consent (PIC).
Research shows that about 60% of vaccinated children are susceptible to subclinical measles infection, and by age 24-26, 33% of adults are susceptible to clinical infection, PIC reported.
Evidence exists of serious health risks associated with the MMR vaccine. The package insert for Merck’s MMRII says, “M-M-R II vaccine has not been evaluated for carcinogenic or mutagenic potential or impairment of fertility.”
Research also shows the MMR vaccine causes febrile seizures, anaphylaxis, meningitis, encephalitis, thrombocytopenia, arthralgia and vasculitis.
Researchers in 2004 found that boys vaccinated with their first MMR vaccine on time were 67% more likely to be diagnosed with autism compared to boys who got their first vaccine after their 3rd birthday.
The CDC recommends children receive their first dose of the MMR vaccine between 12 and 15 months old.
Between 2000 and 2024, there were 144 deaths following MMR or MMRV vaccination reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Nine measles-related deaths were reported to the CDC during the same period.
PIC also notes that because VAERS is a passive reporting system, there can be significant underreporting of vaccine-related injuries.
There is also evidence that contracting measles provides more comprehensive and long-term immunity, although the illness can also be serious. PIC reported that the risk of permanent injury and death from the MMR vaccine hasn’t been proven to be less than that of measles itself.
CHD CEO Mary Holland pointed to extensive evidence that giving multiple vaccines in a single shot is more dangerous than administering a single vaccine.
“If the Department of Health really wants to use a vaccine strategy to go after measles, then they should offer people a single measles shot. It would be safer than the MMR, which has proven to carry many serious risks.”
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Merck made $2.485 billion from its MMR vaccine in 2024, up 9% from the previous year, due in part to higher pricing in the U.S., even though demand was slightly down. GSK, which also makes an MMR vaccine, Priorix, made $323 million pounds or over $411 million from that vaccine in 2024.
Providers treating patients in Texas have reported positive results using treatments including cod liver oil — a food-based source of vitamin A and vitamin D — budesonide, a steroid used to relieve inflammation affecting the airways, and clarithromycin, an antibiotic.
Related articles in The Defender- ‘Medical Error’ Led to Death of 6-Year-Old Who Developed Pneumonia After Measles Diagnosis
- Texas Reports Death of Child Who Tested Positive for Measles, But Releases Few Details
- CHD.TV Exclusive: Parents of Child Who Died During Texas Measles Outbreak Speak Out
- 4-Year-Old Hospitalized Post Measles Infection Goes Home 36 Hours After Budesonide Treatment
- Media Reports of Vitamin A Toxicity in Kids Being Treated for Measles ‘Misleading,’ Doctor Says
- Exclusive: ‘Just Normal Doctoring’ — a Texas Doctor’s Eyewitness Report on Measles Outbreak
