Wisconsin infant dies of measles, the state's first measles death since 1990
Editorial illustration — Press Pass USAAn infant has died of measles in Wisconsin, the state health department said Thursday, November 5, 2026 — the state's first measles death in more than 35 years and the third measles-related death reported in the United States this week.
The coroner listed the immediate cause of death as measles, according to a news release issued midday Thursday by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. State health officials said they would not share any more information about the child to protect the family's privacy.
"My heart is broken for the family," said Kirsten Johnson, secretary of the state health department. "Any death of a child is a tragedy and even more so when it is related to a vaccine-preventable disease. Measles can cause serious illness and death, and it is important for all Wisconsinites to evaluate their risk and take steps to protect themselves and their family."
Wisconsin is experiencing its largest measles outbreak in more than three decades. As of Thursday, the state has recorded 431 cases in 13 counties this year, and nine people have been hospitalized. The health department cautions that the true number may be higher because not everyone who gets sick seeks medical care.
All but three of Wisconsin's cases have been in people who were not vaccinated. Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are 97% effective at preventing infection. Transmission has occurred primarily in Amish and Mennonite communities in the southwest part of the state, with the largest case counts in Grant, Lafayette and Iowa counties. Cases were first reported to the public in early August, but state data show people began experiencing symptoms in early July.
The Wisconsin death is the third reported in the country this week. In Pennsylvania, an unvaccinated resident of rural Jefferson County died after testing positive for measles, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said Wednesday — the sixth person in Pennsylvania to die from measles this year. On Monday, the New York State Department of Health announced that a child in rural Lewis County had died after contracting measles, New York's first measles death in 30 years.
More than 4,800 measles cases have been reported across the United States this year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — the most since 1991, almost a decade before measles was declared eliminated in the country. Until last year, there had been no measles deaths in the United States in decades.
Wisconsin health officials are urging everyone who has not been vaccinated to get the measles vaccine. On November 3, the state health department recommended that babies 6 months and older who are likely to be exposed to measles receive a "zero dose" of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to offer protection before they can receive their first regular dose between 12 and 15 months of age. Between 500 and 600 of those zero doses have been given to Wisconsin infants since August, and more than 42,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered across the state since August.
"If we do things right, we can have a world where no one dies of measles," said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, the state's chief medical officer and epidemiologist. "That's what we're aiming at."
An international meeting to determine the status of measles elimination in the United States is scheduled to take place next week.
Sources: CNN, "Wisconsin infant is US' third measles-related death this week" (Nov. 5, 2026, full text verified); Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Infant's death from measles is first in Wisconsin since 1990" (Nov. 5, 2026, full text verified); FOX 9, "Minnesota measles cases continue to rise among unvaccinated patients" (Nov. 5, 2026, full text verified). Event date verified: Wisconsin Department of Health Services announcement Thursday, November 5, 2026. Distinct from the November 4 note on Pennsylvania's sixth measles death and the November 3 note on the New York child's death.
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