A second child has died in Texas following a measles infection, as the state grapples with a mounting outbreak that has seen hundreds of confirmed cases in recent weeks, according to local news outlets on Sunday.

While the precise cause of the child’s death is still under investigation, the incident has drawn national attention, prompting U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to announce a visit to Texas.

Kennedy, who has long questioned vaccine safety, previously downplayed the significance of the outbreak after the state’s first measles-related death in February, calling such events relatively routine.

The resurgence of measles has reignited debate over vaccination, with opponents insisting immunization should be a matter of personal freedom. Meanwhile, public health experts warn that vaccine hesitancy has led to clusters of unvaccinated individuals vulnerable to rapid disease spread.

On Friday, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported 59 new measles cases over a three-day period, raising the total to 481 since late January.

Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded a weekly rise of 124 new cases as of Thursday, pushing the year’s cumulative count to 607.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has yet to comment on the developments, Reuters noted.