Measles Myths We Are Seeing in the Texas Outbreak

As quickly as the measles is spreading in the Texas outbreak, so too are myths about measles.

Measles Myths We Are Seeing in the Texas Outbreak

Unfortunately, we have come to expect these types of myths about measles and misinformation from anti-vaccine influencers during a big outbreak.

Why?

They are panicking because they know that all of the folks they have been scaring away from getting vaccinated and protected will no longer listen to them as case counts continue to rise.

The Texas measles outbreak is about a failure to vaccinate! — Actually, the Texas measles outbreak is about a failure to vaccinate!

And that’s why they are pushing misinformation about:

shedding/vaccine induced measles
vaccine failure and leaky vaccines
immigrants triggering the outbreaks
mild measles
measles deaths had disappeared before the vaccine was introduced

Of course, none of this is true.

In this measles outbreak, as in all others, we find that:

cases are caused by a wild-type strain (the D8 strain has been found in the Texas outbreak, not the vaccine strain)
nearly all cases are in the unvaccinated
most outbreaks start when someone travels out of the country and returns with measles
measles is rarely mild, with typical symptoms including a high fever, irritability, cough, and a risk of death

Yes, a risk of death, as we have seen in Texas, as an unvaccinated child has tragically died.

Our HHS Secretary has spread the myth that it is hard to die with measles, and yet, a child is dead in Texas.

Remember when RFK Jr, who is now Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and already downplaying the Texas measles outbreak, said that it was ‘very, very hard to kill a healthy child’ with measles?

Bob Sears actually reassured parents that measles wasn't deadly in developed countries, neglecting to mention the dozens of people who have died in outbreaks in Europe - another well-nourished population with lower vaccination rates than the U.S. — Dying isn’t very close to zero risk…

Remember when Bob Sears said that measles wasn’t deadly in the United States?

And yet, a child has died because they were unvaccinated and had measles.

CHD isn't really looking for answers. We know the answers already! They are 'asking questions' to scare you away from vaccinating and protecting your kids. — CHD isn’t really looking for answers. We know the answers already! They are ‘asking questions‘ to scare you away from vaccinating and protecting your kids.

What do these folks mean by asking if the child died with measles or from measles?

“The mass media controversy of dying “from” or “with” COVID-19 does not seem very relevant, in our case, given the relatively low figures of those who suffered COVID-19 but died from other causes.”
Dying with or dying from COVID-19: When being able to count is relevant

It is a left-over argument from the COVID pandemic that anti-vaccine influencers tried to use to downplay COVID deaths.

It didn’t work then, as most studies found that “the overwhelming majority of hospitalized patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR died as a direct consequence of COVID-19 infection,” and it won’t work now!

What about the ‘idea’ that the child had RSV and developed measles in the hospital?

If you are unvaccinated or immunosuppressed, getting measles in the hospital is certainly a risk, especially during a large outbreak. But that wouldn't make the death any less tragic... or preventable. — If you are unvaccinated or immunosuppressed, getting measles in the hospital is certainly a risk, especially during a large outbreak. But that wouldn’t make the death any less tragic… or preventable.

It is made a made up story that isn’t likely to be true.

“The school-aged child who was not vaccinated was hospitalized in Lubbock last week and tested positive for measles.”
Texas announces first death in measles outbreak

Just think about it…

Measles has a 7 to 21 day incubation period!

If the child was hospitalized just last week for RSV, there would not have been enough time for them to be exposed, get sick, and then die with measles.

Although deaths from most things were down in the first part of the 20th century, they eventually plateaued and by the time the first measles vaccine came out, we still had at least 400 measles deaths each and every year! The charts and graphs that anti-vaccine influencers try to use to scare you away from getting vaccinated and protected don't mention that, do they? — Although deaths from most things were down in the first part of the 20th century, they eventually plateaued and by the time the first measles vaccine came out, we still had at least 400 measles deaths each and every year! The charts and graphs that anti-vaccine influencers try to use to scare you away from getting vaccinated and protected don’t mention that, do they?

Plus, none of this takes away from the simple fact that the child died because they were unvaccinated and had measles!

More Measles Myths

Last Updated on February 27, 2025

Measles Myths We Are Seeing in the Texas Outbreak