An infant has died of measles in Wisconsin, the state Department of Health announced Thursday — the third measles-related death reported in the United States this week.
It was the first measles-related death in Wisconsin since 1990, the Health Department said, adding that a coroner listed measles as the immediate cause of the infant’s death.
The news came just a day after the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported another death associated with measles – the sixth in the state this year. It said Wednesday that an unvaccinated Jefferson County resident who tested positive for measles had died.
On Monday, New York health officials announced that a child in Lewis County had died of measles. Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a statewide state of emergency in early October due to measles.
In total, the United States has recorded eight measles-associated deaths this year, according to state health department data. This is the highest number of measles deaths in the country since 1991.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed four of those deaths. It says it will update its tally “as additional information becomes available and relevant reviews are completed.”
None of the eight people who died were vaccinated, according to state health departments; some were ineligible due to age or health. Typically, the first dose of the vaccine is given around a child’s first birthday.
Before the outbreaks in Wisconsin, New York and Pennsylvania, no state had recorded a measles death in more than 30 years.
Dr. Stephanie Schauer, director of the vaccination program at the Wisconsin Department of Health, said some chains of transmission began with residents traveling out of state for events such as funerals and weddings.
The department recommends an early dose of measles vaccine for infants as young as 6 months who are at increased risk of exposure. About 500 such early doses have been administered since August, Schauer said.
About 85% of Wisconsin kindergartners have been vaccinated against measles, lower than the national average of 92%. Experts estimate that 95% is the threshold necessary to maintain protection of the population.
“We can actually eliminate community transmission of measles by getting enough people vaccinated,” said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, state communicable disease epidemiologist. “We have the opportunity to take a disease that could affect everyone and make it disappear. »
The Health Department said it has sent an additional 2,000 doses of measles vaccine to local health departments in recent months.
Gn Health
