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A #child had died of #measles in West #Texas, the first known #death from an #outbreak of the #disease that is spreading in the state & in neighboring #NewMexico, ofcls said on Wed.

#Health ofcls in #Lubbock & the TX DSHS said in a statement that the patient was an #unvaccinated school-age child who had died in the previous 24 hrs.

The officials did not release further info, but said that a news conference was planned for Wed afternoon….

At least 124 cases of #measles have been identified in #Texas since late Jan, mostly among #children & teenagers who are either #unvaccinated or whose #vaccination status was unknown, TX #health ofcls say. 18 have been hospitalized.

#Measles is a highly #contagious respiratory illness that can be life-threatening to anyone who is not protected against the #virus.

Doctors say the best way to protect against the #disease is with 2 doses of a #vaccine, which is usually administered to children as a combination measles-mumps-rubella, or #MMR, vaccine. 2 doses of the MMR vaccine prevent more than 97% of measles infections, acc/to #Texas #health ofcls.

#NewMexico has also reported an #outbreak, w/ 9 cases in Lea County, in the southeastern part of the state, on the #Texas border. 4 of those cases are #children…, all of whom are #unvaccinated, acc/to Robert Nott, a spox for the NM Dept of Health. None of the cases in NM have led to hospitalizations.

The outbreak comes amid growing concerns among #PublicHealth experts about declining #vaccination rates & the confirmation of #RFKJr, a prominent #vaccine skeptic, as the nation’s #health secy.

#Measles can be transmitted when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. People who are infected will begin to have symptoms within 1-2 weeks after being exposed. Early symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose & red, watery eyes. Within a few days, a telltale rash breaks out as flat, red spots on the face & then spreads down the neck & trunk to the rest of the body.