West Texas.

Wide open highways, sprawling landscapes, really beautiful country.

But unfortunately now, also home to the largest measles outbreak in the state in 30 years.

We have the first reported death from measles in the outbreak that has infected more than 100 people, 120 people.

You probably know measles from its signature spotted red rash.

But otherwise, you know, we really haven't had much reason to talk about it

since it was essentially eliminated here in the United States back in 2000.

For a long time, we simply didn't have any new cases.

Nobody was getting sick of measles.

And that, of course, was thanks to the development of the measles vaccine in the 1960s.

But the thing about measles is that it is one of the most contagious viruses on the planet.

And that means the vaccination rate doesn't have to drop by too much for it to start to

spread. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, they set a 95% vaccination rate goal for

kindergartners. What does that mean? Two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine,

MMR vaccine, to help prevent outbreaks. Now that is a high number, but when a virus is very contagious, you need a higher vaccination

rate to keep it at bay.

And when it's lower, the virus has the opportunity to quickly take hold.

And that is exactly what we are seeing now in West Texas.

That's where the outbreak started in this tight-knit rural,

under-vaccinated Mennonite community. But again, because it is so contagious, more and more

measles cases are starting to be reported in other parts of the state. So with all that in mind,

I recently traveled down to Texas to learn more

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