At least 124 cases of measles have been identified in Texas since late January, mostly among children and teenagers who are either unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, officials say.

According to the society, the last US measles death was in 2015. A measles infection can have particularly devastating complications for pregnant women and young children, including pneumonia, neurological impairment, hearing loss and death.

Angela Solis, a pharmacist at Martin's Wellness and Compounding Pharmacies, said measles is the most contagious respiratory illness. She said interest in the MMR vaccine has increased at the pharmacies since the Texas measles outbreak began.

More than 130 people have been infected with measles across Texas and New Mexico. The previous measles death in the U.S. occurred in 2015.

An unvaccinated child in west Texas died from measles this week, according to a Wednesday news release from the Texas Department of State Health Services. This is the first death from the west Texas measles outbreak that began late last month, and is the first death from measles in the United States since 2015.

The measles outbreak in Texas has grown to 124 cases mostly in children and in those who are unvaccinated, according to state data published Tuesday.