After a pediatric patient in West Texas died of measles complications, hospital officials are urging the community to take the outbreak seriously, and to educate themselves about the virus and vaccination.

As a measles outbreak sweeps through Texas, officially sickening 124 people, mostly unvaccinated children, and hospitalizing 18, anti-vaccine groups are pushing a familiar and false theory: The highly contagious virus is being caused by the vaccine itself.

During a briefing on Wednesday, Dr. Lara Johnson, Chief Medical Officer for Covenant Health Service Area explained that measles can only be prevented if enough people are vaccinated. As vaccination rates drop across the country,