Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world, and can live on surfaces or suspended in the air for two hours. Public health recommendations call for children to receive their first shot to protect against it between 12 months and 15 months old, and a second round between the ages of 4 and 6.

A newborn with measles is among the cases reported in the growing West Texas outbreak, Lubbock public health officials say. Experts say the case serves as a reminder that the disease can be especially dangerous for pregnant women and very young children.

Cases in the ongoing measles outbreak have risen to 258 across Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, and state health departments are urging more people to get the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared to suggest getting measles is the best defense against the disease, as a Texas outbreak spreads across the U.S. More than 220 people in the state have been diagnosed with the infectious virus,

Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as America’s secretary of health and human services, neutral observers might have asked themselves: Would it be possible for a lawyer who had questioned the safety of childhood vaccinations for two decades to look at the available data and reconsider his views?