Texas’ measles outbreak has grown to 223 cases, the state reported Tuesday morning.
The outbreak began in Gaines County, near the New Mexico border. The reported cases have not spread outside of West Texas and the Panhandle, according to Tuesday’s report.
The state’s case count is still rapidly growing, up from 198 reported on Friday.
A total of 29 people in Texas have been hospitalized, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. One unvaccinated child has died, in the U.S.‘s first reported measles death in a decade.
The Texas count does not include measles cases from a New Mexico county that borders Gaines County. On Friday, New Mexico reported 30 measles cases and one death connected to the outbreak.
Measles is a highly contagious virus, and it can spread rapidly among unvaccinated people. The disease has been considered eliminated in the U.S. since 2000, but outbreaks across the country have threatened that status.
Health experts and Texas officials have urged people to vaccinate themselves and their children. The two-dose measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is highly effective at preventing measles, and is recommended for most people.
The vast majority of Texas’ confirmed measles cases have been among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.
State numbers show that, of the 223 confirmed cases, 80 were among unvaccinated people, 138 were among people whose vaccination status is unknown and five were among vaccinated people.
Local health agencies across the state offer the measles vaccine at clinics. People can also contact their doctor or their pharmacy to ask about vaccination.
