Alabama doctors react to measles death of school-aged child in Texas
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The Texas Department of State Health Services has reported the first death from measles in a school-aged child in that state who was not vaccinated.
In response to this news, Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris' monthly message encourages vaccination to keep Alabama safe and healthy.
According to Dr. Wesley Willeford, the Medical Director for Disease Control for the Jefferson County Department of Health, there are no confirmed measles cases in Alabama. But there is concern about the possibility of an outbreak of the virus.
According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, measles is a highly contagious viral respiratory disease.
Measles may live up to two hours in the air or on surfaces after an infected person coughs or sneezes.
According to the department of health, the best preventive measure against measles is receiving the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Dr. Max Hale, a pediatrician with Birmingham Pediatric Associates, is entering his 28th year of practicing medicine.
Here's what he had to say about the reported death of the unvaccinated child from measles in Texas:
'It's very disturbing, it's the first measles death we've had in this country in ten years,' Hale said, adding that it was certainly preventable.
He said the death rate per identified case is going to be somewhere between one and three per 1,000 in the population, and the death rate is higher in some segments, including people who are immunocompromised, pregnant women and children under five.
Alabama Port Authority boasts new facility to move products quicker across the state
'By all means make sure that your child is up to date on their measles vaccine,' Hale advises parents. 'Your health care provider can give you that information if you're uncertain.'
We asked Dr. Wesley Willeford about the safety of the measles vaccine:
'Vaccines are incredibly safe,' he said, 'especially when you compare them to the known effects of being infected with these viruses.'
'These can be deadly virus unfortunately as has been shown in Texas,' Willeford added. 'We don't want to anyone dying from something that's completely preventable.'
Willeford shared a graph from the CDC which shows the drop off in reported measles cases in the U.S. after the vaccine became available.
He also addressed vaccine hesitancy, which the state health department said contributes to increased susceptibility.
'There's been a lot of misinformation, particularly around autism, that came out several years ago,' Willeford said. 'I think that has driven a lot of it.'
Willeford said the study that the claim was based off was proven to be falsified. He said the person who wrote the study falsified their data and lied, and that has created a tremendous amount of concern and skepticism about these vaccines.
He advises parents to talk with their pediatrician.
According to the Jefferson County Department of Health one dose of the MMR vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective against measles.
The state of Alabama requires school-aged children be vaccinated against measles in order to attend school. Parents can, however, obtain a medical or a religious exemption.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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