The Texas measles outbreak has surpassed 250 cases, with a new county added to the list, the state reported Friday. Health officials said 259 measles cases have been identified since late January, up from the 223 cases reported earlier this week.

Half of the newly reported cases are in Gaines County, about 80 miles southwest of Lubbock, which has been the epicenter of the outbreak. The Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed 259 cases of measles since late January.

Cases in Gaines county, the center of the outbreak, rose to 174 from 156 cases, the Texas Department of State Health Services said. Hospitalizations in the state rose to 34 from 29. The department has classified 257 patients as "unvaccinated or unknown",

Dozens of children have contracted measles in the state’s largest outbreak in 33 years. Online, some are blaming vaccines for the disease’s spread.

Four confirmed cases of the measles in people from 5-months-old to adult age were reported by the Paris-Lamar County Health District on Thursday. Visit this article to learn more: KETK/FOX51 News covers East Texas,

In what could become a spiraling health crisis for the state, public health officials in Lamar County on Thursday announced four confirmed cases of measles. Paris-Lamar County Health District officials said the extremely contagious virus had been diagnosed in four patients who range in age from 5 months to adulthood.

Health officials confirmed four measles cases in unvaccinated individuals in Lamar County. LAMAR COUNTY, Texas — The Paris-Lamar County Health District (PLCHD) has confirmed four cases of measles, according to a Thursday news release.