West Texas is in the middle of a still-growing measles outbreak with 481 cases Friday. The state expanded the number of counties in the outbreak area this week to 10. The highly contagious virus began to spread in late January and health officials say it has spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mexico.

The measles outbreak that began in West Texas more than two months ago could continue spreading and growing for months to come, according to health experts. The outbreak has already caused the state to report more measles cases in the first few months of this year than in any full year since 1992.

State health officials reported 24 new measles cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of reported cases to 505.

Texas confirmed 505 measles cases in 22 counties on Tuesday. About 70% of these cases were confirmed in children under the age of 18.

The Texas Department of State Health Services said Tuesday that the number of measles cases in the outbreak that began in January has risen to 505 confirmed infections with 57 hospitalizations. Based on the most recent data,

Three people have died from measles-related illnesses in the U.S. since the highly contagious virus started ripping through West Texas in January.

A second child with measles has died in Texas, state officials said on Sunday, in an outbreak of the childhood disease that has resulted in nearly 500 cases in Texas and has spread across 22 states. The unvaccinated school-aged child,

The health secretary has faced harsh criticism for his handling of the outbreak, embrace of alternative treatments and tepid endorsement of vaccination.

A second child in Texas has died from measles, one of the world’s most contagious illnesses, which was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, several decades after the introduction of a highly effective vaccine.