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.

The first measles death in the growing outbreak in West Texas was a school-aged child. The child was unvaccinated and had been hospitalized in Lubbock, Texas, said Lauren Adams, Lubbock city spokesperson. This is the first US measles death since 2015, when a woman in Washington state died.

At least 124 people were known to be infected in West Texas since early February, Texas health officials announced, most of them children. An additional 9 cases were announced on Tuesday, in eastern New Mexico, near the Texas state line where the outbreak has spread to about 10 counties, Texas health officials said.