The Texas health department reported 505 cases of measles in the state on Tuesday, an increase of 24 cases from its previous count on April 4, as the United States battles an outbreak of the childhood disease that has spread across 22 states.

A second child in Texas has died of measles, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, in a growing outbreak that has infected hundreds of people, the vast majority in unvaccinated communities in Texas.

State health officials reported 24 new measles cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of reported cases to 505.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised the measles response in Texas and the U.S., saying it's a "model for the rest of the world." But the comparison to Europe is an unfair one.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Gaines County, Texas, to console the families whose young children have died.

Many people not getting tested for measles or don't have access to test for highly infectious disease as outbreak area expands.