A measles outbreak is growing in a rural area of West Texas where vaccination rates are well below the recommended level.

Public health practitioners warn that measles outbreaks like the one hitting children in Texas will become more common because of scores of laws around the United States — pending and passed — that ultimately lower vaccine rates.

Gaines County has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state of Texas and has among the highest rates of children with "conscientious exemptions" to school vaccination requirements.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has reported an outbreak of measles among unvaccinated school-going children in Gaines County. Health officials say they are also investigating other potential cases among close contacts to treat people quickly and stop the virus from spreading further.

Elsewhere, the Georgia Department of Public Health today reported two more measles cases in unvaccinated Atlanta residents. In a statement, the group said the patients are family members of a case confirmed in January.

A measles outbreak is growing in a Texas county with dangerously low vaccination rates. In late January, two school-age children from Gaines County were hospitalized with measles. Since an estimated 1 in 5 people with the disease end up in the hospital,