An unvaccinated child has died as measles cases in rural West Texas continue to surge, making it the largest outbreak in the US in six years. Initially confined to a close-knit Mennonite community, the outbreak has now spread to other under-vaccinated groups.

The Mennonite population being affected by a measles outbreak in West Texas is part of a larger, loosely affiliated group of churches worldwide with varied beliefs and leadership structures — and with sometimes strained or distant relations with public authorities.