New York reports first measles-related death in more than 30 years
A child has died in connection with an ongoing measles outbreak in northern New York, state and local health officials announced. It is the state’s first known measles-associated death in more than 30 years.
The New York State Department of Health and Lewis County Public Health confirmed the death in a joint statement Monday. The child lived in Lewis County, a rural area north of Syracuse. Officials did not release the child’s age or vaccination status.
As of last week, New York had reported 178 measles cases this year, including 170 outside New York City and eight in the city. State health officials said they are supporting local vaccination efforts, investigating cases and tracing contacts.
The announcement comes four weeks after Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency over measles outbreaks in New York and neighboring states.
Hochul called the child’s death a “devastating reminder of what’s at stake when Washington deliberately erodes decades of progress in protecting Americans from preventable illnesses.”
Nationwide, 4,852 measles cases have been confirmed, according to data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That is more than twice the 2,289 cases reported during all of 2025.
The CDC said 96 percent of this year’s patients were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. Children under 5 accounted for 812 cases, while another 2,010 involved patients ages 5 to 19.
Forty-three new outbreaks have been reported this year, and 96 percent of confirmed infections are associated with outbreaks that began in either 2025 or 2026. Pennsylvania, where a large outbreak is ongoing, has reported five measles-related deaths.
Measles spreads through the air and can cause pneumonia, brain swelling and death. Infected people can transmit the virus from four days before a rash appears until four days afterward.
The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine provides about 93 percent protection after one dose and 97 percent after two doses, according to New York health officials.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
