Second measles death reported as outbreak grows in Southwest

A second person has died from measles as the outbreak of the disease in Texas and New Mexico continues to grow, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.

The person was unvaccinated and a resident of Lea County, N.M., where at least 10 cases of the disease have been reported. It lies just across the state border from Gaines County, Texas, where the current measles outbreak began in January.

A total of 159 measles cases have been identified in Texas since January with 53 of those cases in children under the age of 4, according to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.

A school-aged child in Texas late last month became the first person to die of the virus in the U.S. in the last decade.

The child was unvaccinated and died after being hospitalized in Lubbock, Texas.

The New Mexico Department of Health is still investigating the official cause of death for the Lea County resident, but the agency’s laboratory did confirm the presence of the measles virus in the deceased person.

The person did not seek medical care before passing, according to the department.

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