The first person reported to have died from measles in the U.S. in a decade, a "school-aged child" who perished overnight in a children's hospital in West Texas, was announced by health officials on Wednesday,

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.