The warning against measles parties comes days after an unvaccinated child died of measles in Lubbock County about month after an outbreak began in West Texas.

A growing number of Central Texas health departments are warning residents of possible exposure to measles, the latest sign that the outbreak in West Texas is spreading across the state. Why it matters: Measles is a highly contagious and potentially life-threatening disease that has surged in areas with high vaccination exemption rates.

A child’s death this past week in Texas is the first U.S. death from measles, a highly contagious but preventable respiratory disease since 2015, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease