An unvaccinated adult in Lea County, New Mexico, died recently and tested positive for measles afterward, the state’s Department of Health disclosed Thursday.

The University of New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator is working to confirm the patient’s exact cause of death. The patient, as of yet unidentified by health officials, didn’t seek medical care before dying.

Lea County is adjacent to Gaines County, Texas, the origin point of the measles outbreak in the region, and has other cases affecting four minors and five adults. 

In Texas, one measles patient, an unvaccinated school-age child, has died.

Health officials confirmed 159 cases in Texas as of Tuesday, with 94% occurring in Dawson, Gaines, Lynn, Martin, Terry and Yoakum counties, the Texas Department of State Health Services said on its website Thursday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that, among measles patients who have not gotten the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, about 20% end up in the hospital due to the disease.

A single dose of the rubella vaccine stops someone from getting measles 93% of the time, while two doses help 97%, the CDC said on its website.

Measles symptoms show up one to two weeks after infection, starting with high fever, coughing, red and watery eyes and a runny nose.

Two to three days after the other symptoms appear, tiny white spots can begin appearing inside a patient’s mouth, and three to five days later, the measles rash appears.

The rash starts with flat red areas on the face and near a person’s hairline, spreads to the rest of the body and develops bumps. The rash often coincides with a patient’s fever spiking to over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.