Number of Texas measles cases surpass last year's national total

March 21 (UPI) -- A measles outbreak in Western Texas has now climbed to 309 cases, surpassing the total number of infections from the virus in the entire United States last year.

Officials recorded 30 new cases over the last few days, the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed on Friday.

The United States recorded 285 measles cases last year.

"Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities," Texas state officials said in the latest update.

Of the Texas cases this year, over 40 people have been hospitalized, while a 6-year-old child died in late February after contracting the virus.

The child's parents said this week they stand by the decision not to vaccinate their daughter, who marked the first measles-related death in the United States since 2015.

The majority of those infected have either not taken the two-dose MMR vaccine or their vaccination status is unknown. The shot is proven to be 97% effective in guarding against measles, mumps, and rubella.

Only two people who are fully-vaccinated have been infected in Texas.

The greatest number of cases in the state is made up of youth and children between the ages of 5 and 17, accounting for 130 cases. Children aged 4 and under make up 102 cases.

The majority of the Texas cases have occurred in Gaines County, which has a population of 21,500 people and one of the lowest vaccination rates against the highly-contagious virus in the state.

Gaines County sits on the Texas-New Mexico state border, next to Lea County, N.M. All but one of New Mexico's 33 measles cases are located in Lea County.

One adult in New Mexico has died after being infected.

Measles cases have also been reported in neighboring Oklahoma.

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