An El Paso pediatrician received multiple calls this week from concerned parents as the city continues to see an increase in measles cases, according to a KFOX14 report. The concerns are valid. The El Paso Health Department confirmed the city’s fourth case in less than two weeks Wednesday affecting a male toddler. Before the recent outbreak, according to the city’s Health Department, it’s been 25 years since the last case of measles in El Paso.

The three other reported cases involve two other male toddlers and an adult woman. The toddlers were confirmed unvaccinated, but the woman’s record is unknown, according to KFOX14. Further, officials said the infected group is not related.

“It is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people around him or her will also become infected if they are not protected.” -CDC

Measles (Rubeola) is extremely contagious and can spread rapidly to infect a large population. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 28 states have confirmed cases of Measles in 2019 amounting to over 1,000 cases across the country. In 2018, there were 372 reported cases , according to the CDC. The CDC recommends that patients receive two measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines one at 12 to 15 months, and the second between 4 and 6 years of age.