An unvaccinated child has died in the Texas measles outbreak

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — A child who was not vaccinated has died from measles in West Texas, the first death in an outbreak that began late last month and the first from measles in the U.S. since 2015.

The death was a "school-aged child who was not vaccinated" and had been hospitalized last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services said Wednesday in a statement.

Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's office. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center spokesperson Melissa Whitfield first confirmed the death, which happened overnight, to The Associated Press on Wednesday morning.