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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  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Oh jeez, that is terrible. I cannot imagine.

    For the love of Pete, get yourself and your loved ones VACCINATED.

  • TheCelticPirate@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

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

      • drzoidberg@lemmy.world
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        1 month 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@lemmy.world
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          1 month 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@lemmy.world
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            1 month 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.

      • MagicShel@lemmy.zip
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        1 month 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.

    • ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org
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      1 month 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…

    • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
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      1 month 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.

  • danekrae@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Hopefully the poor parents can find some comfort in the fact, that at least the child wasn’t infected with autism…

      • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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        1 month ago

        The fact that it is impossible to tell how absolutely dripping with sarcasm my comment was is a testament to how useless, meaningless and ridiculous the words (and sentiment of) “thoughts and prayers” are.

        So once more for the people in the back, to the parents who essentially killed their child I send them my thoughts and prayers.

  • alykanas@slrpnk.net
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    1 month ago

    Keen to hear from those who fight for the rights of the unborn foetus.

    Obviously a bit of thinking for you to do here.

  • The Picard Maneuver@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    The danger of a measles outbreak is especially scary if you have a baby, because they can’t even get this vaccination until 12 months old. Similar if you’re immunocompromised, I’m sure.

    This is why herd immunity is so important.

  • yesman@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Saying that this child’s death was because of it’s parents decision is cutting off the chain of causality way too soon. It forgives all the grifters and the culture of anti-science.

    These parents have lost their child, but they didn’t disappear, the kid transformed into a political football. People calling for “accountability” like this family got away with something haven’t thought this through. And frankly I have serious doubts that they give one tiny shit about a dead kid; they’re here to play football.

  • WHARRGARBL@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    The report states that this was a “school-age child”. Because the outbreak is primarily in rural west Texas Mennonite families, the child was likely homeschooled and with parents who, while not opposed to vaccines, are on the fundamental side of religion. Mennonite is like Amish-lite.

    I believe this may have been a combination of poor education, jesus stuff, and misplaced faith in isolation.

    • breakfastmtn@lemmy.caOP
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      1 month ago

      Is that true of these Mennonites in West Texas? Mennonites are a pretty diverse group. I had a friend who was Mennonite and his parents were biker metalheads. He was a straightedge, vegan hardcore guy. You’d never confuse them for Amish.

      • WHARRGARBL@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        I’m not west Texas Mennonite, so I couldn’t say with authority. Both Amish and Mennonite are Anabaptist, but Mennonites don’t eschew electricity, cars, and technology.

        The Mennonite families I’ve known were rural and lived in a more humble fashion with a hard-working ethic reminiscent of 1950’s USA. They were also inclusive, so they probably would embrace biker metalheads.

  • hperrin@lemmy.ca
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    1 month ago

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

    • NatakuNox@lemmy.world
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      1 month 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

      • NJSpradlin@lemmy.world
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        1 month 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!

      • Drusas@fedia.io
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        1 month ago

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

    • kibiz0r@midwest.social
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      1 month 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

      • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Or, more recently, the author Roald Dahl, who lost a daughter to measles in 1962.

        In the letter he described his personal experience: “Olivia, my eldest daughter, caught measles when she was seven years old. As the illness took its course, I can remember reading to her often in bed and not feeling particularly alarmed about it.” She became disinterested in playing and within an hour was unconscious.[1] “Within twelve hours she was dead” he wrote.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measles:_A_Dangerous_Illness

    • Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world
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      1 month 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@lemmy.world
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      1 month 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@lemmy.world
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        1 month 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!!??

        • IamSparticles@lemmy.zip
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          1 month 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.

    • Scrollone@feddit.it
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      1 month ago

      Too bad this spread stupidity affects those few people who cannot really get a vaccine because they’re immunocompromised.