Fifteen measles cases — mostly in school-aged children — have been confirmed in a small county in West Texas with one of the highest rates of vaccine exemptions in the state. Some of the cases appear to be connected to private religious schools in the district, said Holbrooks, who cautioned that the investigation is ongoing.

After two measles cases were identified in Houston; an outbreak has been reported in West Texas. Doctors say it's a concerning trend.

It's the latest outbreak of a disease that had been virtually eliminated in the U.S., and it comes as vaccination rates are declining — jeopardizing the country's herd immunity from widespread outbreaks.

A measles outbreak is growing in a rural area of West Texas where vaccination rates are well below the recommended level.

Public health practitioners warn such outbreaks will become more common because of scores of laws around the U.S. that ultimately lower vaccine rates.

Texas Health and Human Services reports that seven children have been hospitalized with the disease. All were unvaccinated.

Health officials in Texas are battling a growing measles outbreak in an area that has some of the state's lowest vaccination rates and highest non-medical exemptions. On January 30, officials reported two measles cases in unvaccinated,