The news on Wednesday that a child died from measles at a Lubbock hospital is something that infectious disease experts like Dr. Peter Hotez have feared since an outbreak of the virus began spreading in northwest Texas.

At least 124 cases have been reported since late January, mostly among children and teenagers who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown.

Health officials say a child who had not been vaccinated died of measles in West Texas — the first death in an outbreak that has infected more than 120 people​.