Child in New York dies after contracting measles, the state’s first such death in 30 years

By Katherine Dillinger, CNN

(CNN) — A child in Lewis County, New York, has died after contracting measles, officials announced Monday. It is the state’s first measles-related death in 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.”

“This is New York’s first measles-related death in 30 years, a devastating reminder of what’s at stake when Washington deliberately erodes decades of progress in protecting Americans from preventable illnesses,” she wrote.

The health departments of New York state and Lewis County issued a joint statement, expressing their condolences for the death and urging New Yorkers to stay up to date on vaccines.

“We are deeply saddened by the death of a child in Lewis County associated with the ongoing measles outbreak. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the child’s family and loved ones and ask that their privacy be respected during this difficult time,” the statement said.

“Measles is a highly contagious disease that can cause serious complications and death. Vaccination is the best protection against measles,” it said.

Surging measles cases prompted Hochul to declare a statewide disaster emergency last month. As of October 24, 178 cases had been reported across New York, according to the New York state and Lewis County health departments. Lewis County reported 15 cases as of October 14, all in people who had not received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.

In a statement to CNN, the Department of Health and Human Services said Monday the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has deployed epidemiologists and other experts at the state’s request to work alongside state health officials, “providing surveillance, data analysis, strategic planning, and other outbreak response support.”

CNN has reached out to the CDC, the New York state health department and the Lewis County health department for more information.

Measles typically causes about 1 in 5 people who aren’t vaccinated to be hospitalized, according to the CDC. As many as 1 out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children. One of every 1,000 kids with measles will develop encephalitis, or brain swelling.

More than 4,800 measles cases have been reported across the US this year, according to the CDC – the most since 1991, almost a decade before measles was declared eliminated in the US. More than a quarter of those cases have been in Pennsylvania, which has reported five measles-related deaths.

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 US is widely expected to lose the elimination status it has held since 2000.

Public health experts have largely attributed the rise in measles cases in the US to falling vaccination rates, although rising cases have driven a surge of immunizations in some places.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine are recommended in childhood to provide 97% protection against measles infections.

In 2024, 93% of US 3-year-olds had received at least one MMR dose, according to data from the CDC’s National Immunization Surveys, below the 95% threshold needed to prevent outbreaks of the highly contagious disease. But in 2025 — a year marked by the nation’s first measles deaths in decades — the level rose to 97% among 3-year-olds.

US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has drawn broad criticism for his response to measles outbreaks, including downplaying the immunity provided by the MMR vaccine. In Pennsylvania, the measles-related deaths have also sparked a war of words between Kennedy and state officials.

President Donald Trump has also repeated misinformation about vaccines, including linking them with autism and saying that children have “a tremendous amount of vaccines” put in their bodies.

In its statement Monday, HHS said Kennedy and CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz have made clear that the MMR vaccine is the most effective way to prevent measles.

In her statement, Hochul said “vaccination remains our best protection against the heartbreak of another family losing a child to measles.”

“In New York, we will continue to stand by proven public health measures and do everything we can to keep New Yorkers safe and healthy,” she wrote.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Deidre McPhillips and Meg Tirrell contributed to this report.