Child dies of measles in New York, the state's first such death in more than 30 years
Editorial illustration — Press Pass USAA child in Lewis County, New York, has died in connection with the ongoing measles outbreak, state health officials announced Monday — New York's first measles-associated death in more than 30 years.
"As a mother and grandmother, I cannot imagine what this family is going through. My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved this child," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. "Measles is highly contagious, and vaccination remains our best protection against this dangerous disease."
The New York State Department of Health and the Lewis County health department issued a joint statement expressing condolences to the child's family and asking that their privacy be respected. Officials did not release the child's name or age. "Measles is a highly contagious disease that can cause serious complications and death. Vaccination is the best protection against measles," the statement said.
Surging cases prompted Hochul to declare a statewide disaster emergency last month. As of October 24, New York had reported 178 measles cases this year, including 170 outside New York City and eight in the city, according to the state and county health departments. Lewis County had reported 15 cases as of October 14, all in people who had not received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine are recommended in childhood and provide 97% protection against measles, health officials say. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Monday that, at New York's request, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has deployed epidemiologists and other experts to work alongside state health officials, providing surveillance, data analysis, strategic planning and outbreak response support.
The death comes as the United States experiences its worst measles resurgence in decades. More than 4,800 measles cases have been reported across the country this year, according to the CDC — the most since 1991, almost a decade before measles was declared eliminated in the United States. Pennsylvania has been the epicenter of this year's outbreak, reporting 1,433 confirmed cases and five measles-associated deaths, according to Reuters.
The Pan American Health Organization, an arm of the World Health Organization, is set to hold a measles elimination commission meeting next week, when the United States is widely expected to lose the elimination status it has held since 2000.
Measles typically causes about one in five people who are not vaccinated to be hospitalized, according to the CDC. As many as one out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children, and one of every 1,000 children with measles develops encephalitis, or brain swelling.
Public health experts have largely attributed the rise in measles cases in the U.S. to falling vaccination rates. In 2024, 93% of U.S. 3-year-olds had received at least one MMR dose, according to CDC national immunization surveys, below the 95% threshold needed to prevent outbreaks of the highly contagious disease — though in 2025 that level rose to 97% among 3-year-olds.
Sources: CNN, "Child in New York dies after contracting measles, the state's first such death in 30 years" (Nov. 2, 2026); Reuters, "New York state reports first measles-linked child death in over 30 years amid outbreak" (Nov. 2, 2026).
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