21 cases of measles infecting people with age range of 4 months old to 44 years old has alarmed public health departments in Texas.

The reported measles outbreak started at Eagle Mountain International Church (EMIC) in Newark, says ABC News. According to the report and EMIC's website, a visitor that had been overseas and exposed to measles attended a service held at the church.

EMIC also said that they were contacted by the Tarrant County Public Health Department late afternoon of August 14 regarding a confirmed case of the measles in the church.

According to reports, there are 16 confirmed measles cases in Tarrant County, all linked to EMIC. Out of the 16 cases, 11 were individuals were not vaccinated against the disease.

According to NBC News, the measles infection affected and spread to the church's congregation, staff and even to the day care center at Eagle Mountain International.

The additional five measles cases in Denton Country also involved individuals who were not able to receive measles vaccination.

Earlier this month on August 16, Texas health officials issued a statewide measles alert urging people to get vaccinated against the disease. At that time, there were only nine cases of measles documented in Tarrant County.

EMIC held a free vaccination clinic on property August 18 conducted by the Tarrant County Public Health Department. The church also held free vaccination clinics August 25. According to their website, they are currently working with the Tarrant County Public Health Department to stand against the outbreak and will continue to follow their instructions on how to best deal with the measles attack.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries' stand on how to deal with any medical condition was also explicitly stated in their website saying that the person should "first seek the wisdom of God, His Word" and then, seek "appropriate medical attention from a professional that you know and trust."

However, the Washington Post reports that EMIC's pastor, Terri Pearsons still has reservations about vaccines. "The concerns we have had are primarily with very young children who have family history of autism and with bundling too many immunizations at one time," she said.

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine infectious disease expert William Schaffner disagrees and says that "young children are actually among the most vulnerable to measles," referring to Pearsons as a "sadly misinformed religious leader."