There’s been increasing anxiety over the last several weeks about an outbreak of measles in Texas and New Mexico. Public health officials in the Southwest are sounding the alarm — including Will Humble,

The first child in 10 years had died from the measles in Texas, and Arizona lacks the herd immunity to keep kids and vulnerable adults safe.

Some Arizona counties have lower measles vaccination rates than in west Texas, where the outbreak has infected at least 159 people since it was first reported in early February and has killed one child.

Doctors are urging people to get vaccinated against measles in order to prevent outbreaks in New Mexico and Texas from spreading to Arizona.

Measles can cause seizures, blindness and death, and children under the age of 5 are particularly vulnerable to complications.

The decline isn’t due to medical exemptions. they make up a tiny fraction of the exemptions allowed. More parents are opting out through personal belief exemptions, according to state health department data.