Brussels: US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. is going to pay an unplanned visit to Texas amid the second measles related death in the state, Axios news portal reported on Sunday. "This was a surprise trip," an unnamed administration official told Axios.

According to Namibia Press Agency, on April 4, the Texas Department of State Health Services said that the number of infections in the state had risen to 481. The first measles related fatality in the state occurred in late February. It was an unvaccinated six-year-old girl from the Mennonite religious community. The second fatality also reportedly occurred in the same community.

At the end of February, Texas health department spokesperson Lara Anton said that measles cases concentrated in the 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite communities.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that is spread through airborne droplets. Young children are most at risk for serious complications, including death. Vaccination against measles is highly effective, with 97% of those vaccinated never contracting the disease. Conversely, an unvaccinated person has an almost 100% chance of becoming infected upon first contact with a carrier.