A West Texas person who was hospitalized with measles has died, marking the first death from the illness in an outbreak that began last month in the South Plains region. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center spokesperson Melissa Whitfield confirmed the death Wednesday,

A child who tested positive for measles died in West Texas, the state health department said, marking the first death in an outbreak that has sickened nearly 140 people. The Texas Department of State Health Services said a school-age child died after being hospitalized in Lubbock.