U.S. Texas measles outbreak climes to 223 cases

LOS ANGELES, March 11 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. state of Texas has seen growing outbreak of measles, with 223 cases have been identified since late January, according to data released by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) on Tuesday.

The outbreak was reported in the South Plains region of Texas. Among the 223 confirmed cases, 29 have been hospitalized.

There has been one fatality in a school-aged child who lived in the outbreak area. The child was not vaccinated and had no known underlying conditions.

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

The agency is working with local health departments to investigate the outbreak.