New York child dies from measles in state’s first fatal case in 30 years

New York governor says case is ‘devastating reminder of what’s at stake’ when vaccine protections are eroded

A child in rural northern New York has died after contracting measles, marking the state’s first death from the disease in 30 years, state officials announced on Monday.

The child died in Lewis county, about 93 miles (150km) north of Syracuse, New York governor Kathy Hochul said.

“I am heartbroken to learn that a child in Lewis County has died after contracting measles,” Hochul said in a statement.

Hochul linked the death to the federal government’s stance on immunisation, saying: “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.”

Measles is a highly contagious virus that can cause serious health complications. Although rare, deaths from measles occur in approximately one to three patients per 1,000 cases.

The US stopped the domestic spread of measles in 2000 by maintaining high vaccination rates, but they have fallen in recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks of the viral disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed three measles-associated deaths in the US this year, but state health departments have reported higher numbers. Pennsylvania health officials have reported six deaths this year.

Hochul declared a disaster emergency in early October because of measles cases in neighbouring states and in rural areas of New York.

The executive order extended the pool of people who can administer measles vaccines to include paramedics, midwives and others, and it allowed nurses to join doctors in ordering testing.

The CDC reported 4,588 cases of measles across the country in 2026 as of late October – more than double the tally for 2025.

Pennsylvania alone reported 1,338 cases on the same day. The CDC also reported large outbreaks in South Carolina and Utah, both of which are reporting more than 500 cases.

Robert F Kennedy Jr, the secretary of the US department of health and human services (HHS), has faced criticism for his comments on some vaccines, and made sweeping changes to vaccination policy, including cutting childhood immunisation recommendations by a third.