Health officials in New Mexico are investigating the cause of death of an unvaccinated person who tested positive for measles, the state health department said Thursday.
The Lea County resident had not sought out health care, according to the New Mexico Department of Health, but no further details were given.
New Mexico has reported 10 cases of measles since the start of the outbreak, all in Lea County.
Lea County borders Gaines County, Texas, the center of another outbreak that now stands at 159 cases, including one death. Officials have not confirmed any links between the two outbreaks yet.
Six of the New Mexico cases have been in adults, and four are in children between 5 and 17. All of the cases have been in unvaccinated people or those with unknown vaccination histories.
“The only prevention for the highly contagious respiratory illness is vaccination,” the health department noted.
The department is offering free measles vaccinations in Lea County next week.
