The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has been tracking a measles outbreak in the South Plains region of the state.
The agency first confirmed the outbreak on Feb. 5, and it has since been growing.
A Tuesday update stated that 58 cases have been identified within the last three weeks as symptoms occurred.
MEASLES OUTBREAK CONTINUES IN TEXAS, CASES DOUBLE: INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY
Most of the cases have been reported in children, with 15 cases affecting kids 4 years old and younger, 33 affecting kids 5 to 17, and only six cases occurring in adults. Ages are still pending for four of the cases.
Thirteen of these patients have been hospitalized and only four are confirmed to be vaccinated, according to DSHS. The remaining patients are either unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status.
Forty-five measles cases have been reported in Gaines County; the others are spread across Terry County (9), Yoakum (2), Lubbock (1) and Lynn (1).
“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in Gaines County and the surrounding communities,” DSHS reported in the update on its website.
“There is a 90% chance you will get it if you are unvaccinated and step into a room where someone with measles was two hours before.”
“DSHS is working with South Plains Public Health District and Lubbock Public Health to investigate the outbreak.”
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The agency added that the best way to prevent sickness is to receive two doses of the vaccine against measles, “primarily administered” as the combination measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunization.
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel commented on the threat of the spread.
“It is spreading and there are [58] cases, but there will be hundreds because the compliance rate with the vaccine in that part of Texas is just over 80%, and we need 95% for herd immunity,” he told Fox News Digital.
Siegel described measles as the “most contagious respiratory virus on the planet.”
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“There is a 90% chance you will get it if you are unvaccinated and step into a room where someone with measles was two hours before,” he cautioned.
“Texas in general is at risk — especially the unvaccinated and those who can’t take a live virus vaccine because they are pregnant or immunocompromised.”
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The rise in cases comes more than two decades after health agencies reported that the disease was “eliminated” in 2000.
Measles can be spread through direct contact with infectious droplets, or can be airborne when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, according to officials. The virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area.
Symptoms usually appear within a week or two, and may include a high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.
A few days later, flat, red spots appear on the face and then spread down the neck to the rest of the body. People are most contagious the four days before and four days after the rash appears.
Those who believe they may have measles or have been exposed should self-isolate and call their doctor before arriving to be tested, according to the DSHS.
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
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