The number of measles cases exceeded 500 in Texas on Tuesday, according to the state’s health department, which made the update days after a second Texas child died after contracting the highly contagious illness that has been confirmed in at least 20 states.

Texas confirmed 505 measles cases in 22 counties on Tuesday. About 70% of these cases were confirmed in children under the age of 18.

The measles outbreak in western Texas is continuing to grow with a total of 505 in the state, according to data published Tuesday.

Update: Texas faces a growing measles outbreak, with additional counties put on alert as cases rise to 505 with two school-aged fatalities; vaccination is urged

West Texas is in the middle of a still-growing measles outbreak with 505 cases reported on Tuesday. The state expanded the number of counties in the outbreak area this week to 10. The highly contagious virus began to spread in late January and health officials say it has spread to New Mexico,

The Texas Department of State Health Services said Tuesday that the number of measles cases in the outbreak that began in January has risen to 505 confirmed infections with 57 hospitalizations. Based on the most recent data,

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised the measles response in Texas and the U.S., saying it's a "model for the rest of the world." But the comparison to Europe is an unfair one.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Gaines County, Texas, to console the families whose young children have died.

Kennedy Jr. met with the families of two girls who had died from measles in West Texas—and raised doubts about the safety of vaccines. “He said, ‘You don’t know what’s in the vaccine anymore,’” Peter Hildebrand,

A public health official in Texas recently warned that the state's ongoing measles outbreak could last a year. Why are cases expected to keep rising?

Many people not getting tested for measles or don't have access to test for highly infectious disease as outbreak area expands.

Much of the outbreak is concentrated in the districts of Texas House leaders, including Speaker Dustin Burrows. The crisis appears to have done little to change support for “vaccine choice.”