The first death due to a measles outbreak in Texas was reported on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Texas State Health Department reported that the outbreak has infected 124 people across nine counties in west Texas and nine people in New Mexico. The first death occurred overnight and was confirmed Wednesday by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center spokeswoman Melissa Whitfield.

The cases have largely spread in Gaines County, Texas, home to a sizable Mennonite community. Mennonites typically opt out of modern medicine, so most do not receive vaccinations.

The vast majority of those infected by the recent outbreak have been children, though personal details about the victim who died overnight were not immediately made available.

The outbreak is the largest in Texas in nearly 30 years. Measles was previously declared extinct in the United States in 2000, largely due to vaccination efforts. The disease has been widespread throughout Latin America, however, including in neighboring Mexico.

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Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in humans, and cases have been rising globally. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9 out of every 10 susceptible people exposed will be infected. The virus can survive in the air for up to two hours.

Measles can cause a fever, cough, runny nose, and white spots on the skin called koplik spots. There is no specific cure or treatment for the disease. In every 1,000 children who contract measles, one to two are projected to die, with the disease being especially fatal to children under 5.