Fifteen measles cases — mostly in school-aged children — have been confirmed in a small county in West Texas with one of the highest rates of vaccine exemptions in the state. Some of the cases appear to be connected to private religious schools in the district, said Holbrooks, who cautioned that the investigation is ongoing.

Measles cases are on the rise in a small West Texas county. KXAN reports fifteen cases have been confirmed in Gaines County, located on the Texas-New Mexico border. Two cases were first reported to the South Plains Public Health District in January – both involved children who had been seen by a Lubbock physician.

A measles outbreak is growing in a rural area of West Texas where vaccination rates are well below the recommended level.