Health officials with the City of Lubbock and the Department of State Health Services confirmed the first death related to the ongoing West Texas measles outbreak.
According to the city, the patient was an unvaccinated school-aged child who traveled to Lubbock for care. The death occurred in the past 24 hours.
More information is expected at a press conference in Lubbock this afternoon.
Yesterday, state health services confirmed at least 124 cases and 18 hospitalizations since the outbreak was first reported in late January.
The largest measles outbreak in the U.S. in the last 30 years was in 2019 when 1,249 cases across 31 states were reported to the Centers for Disease Control. According to the CDC, no deaths were reported in connection with that outbreak.