A Child in Lewis County Has Died of Measles — New York's First Measles Death in More Than 30 Years
State health officials announced the death Monday, in an outbreak that has reached 178 cases across New York this year — eight of them in New York City — and already drew a State Disaster Emergency declaration from the governor.
A child in Lewis County has died in connection with New York's ongoing measles outbreak, the State Department of Health announced Monday — the first known measles-associated death in New York State in more than 30 years, confirmed in a joint statement from the state department and Lewis County Public Health and reported by Reuters.
Officials did not release the child's name and did not say whether the child had been vaccinated. What they said, through the statement, was an urging: that New Yorkers make sure they are up to date on measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations and talk to their health care providers about immunizations. The department added that it has offered resources to Lewis County to assist with community outreach and support local vaccination efforts, both in response to this case and as part of the state's wider work in counties facing the outbreak.
The death lands in the middle of the worst measles resurgence the country has seen in decades. As of Oct. 24, New York had reported 178 measles cases this year — 170 of them outside New York City and eight in the city — and Lewis County's 15 cases are the fourth-highest county total in the state, after Seneca, Otsego and Steuben counties, according to North Country Public Radio. Governor Kathy Hochul declared a State Disaster Emergency last month in response to the outbreak across areas of New York and neighboring states, and said in a statement Monday that she was heartbroken by the child's death, calling it a devastating reminder of what is at stake when progress against preventable illness erodes.
For New York City readers, the state file is not a distant one. The city's eight cases are a small share of the state total, but measles is among the most contagious diseases health officials track: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes it spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and a person can catch it in a room an infected person has already left — the virus can linger up to two hours. The MMR vaccine remains the protection the state is urging: two doses are about 97 percent effective at preventing measles, and one dose about 93 percent.
State officials have not announced new exposure sites or a change in guidance for the city in connection with Monday's announcement. The desk will follow the state's county-by-county counts and any city health department advisory as the outbreak file develops.
