Texas officials on Wednesday announced the first measles death in the state's ongoing outbreak of the highly contagious disease. The death, of a school-age child, is the first measles death in the U.S. since 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After a pediatric patient in West Texas died of measles complications, hospital officials are urging the community to take the outbreak seriously, and to educate themselves about the virus and vaccination.