Declining vaccination rates are fueling a growing measles outbreak in West Texas and New Mexico that has so far been linked to two deaths. In late February, an unvaccinated child in Texas with no underlying health conditions became the first mortality. Then, on March 6, health officials in New Mexico confirmed that a deceased adult resident, who was also unvaccinated, tested positive for measles after death.
Amid the outbreak, misinformation about measles is spreading on social media, with many conservative and anti-vaccine accounts downplaying the severity of the virus and promoting claims that the child in Texas died