New York state reports first measles-linked child death in over 30 years amid outbreak
A measles alert sign hangs outside the entrance to the Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York, U.S., March 14, 2025. Reuters-Yonhap
The New York State Department of Health said on Monday that a child in Lewis County had died in connection with an ongoing measles outbreak, marking the state's first known measles-associated death in more than 30 years.
Last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a State Disaster Emergency in response to the measles outbreak across areas of New York and neighboring states.
"The Department 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 our ongoing efforts to support counties that are facing this ongoing measles outbreak," the state department said.
The death comes as the U.S. experiences its worst measles resurgence in decades.
Hochul told Reuters in October that the state would seek federal assistance to help contain the outbreak, but did not confirm whether it had submitted a formal request for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epidemic Intelligence Service, or Epi-Aid, response.
As of October 24, New York had reported 178 measles cases this year, including 170 cases outside New York City and 8 cases in New York City.
State health officials said they were working with county health departments and local partners to provide measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations to unvaccinated individuals who request them and to investigate reported cases.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside business hours.
The CDC has recorded three measles-related deaths this year, but did not name the states where they occurred.
Pennsylvania has been the epicenter of the outbreak this year, reporting 1,433 confirmed cases and five measles-associated deaths so far this year.
The gap in numbers follows a policy shift under U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with the CDC switching to the National Center for Health Statistics' mortality data to track measles deaths, replacing its earlier reliance on state health departments' figures.