Child Dies of Measles in New York, First State Death in 30 Years
Seven Lights
A child in rural northern New York died of measles, state health officials reported Monday, the first measles-associated death in New York in more than 30 years. The fatal case was recorded in Lewis County, in the Adirondack region, which has reported 15 cases in the ongoing outbreak.
New York has reported 178 measles cases so far this year, according to the State Health Department. The vast majority, 170, were outside New York City. The death is the first attributed to the disease in the state in three decades.
“We are deeply saddened by the death of a child in Lewis County associated with the ongoing measles outbreak,” state health officials said in a statement. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the child’s family and loved ones and ask that their privacy be respected during this difficult time.”
Governor Kathy Hochul said the death reflected eroding vaccination levels as the state experiences a significant outbreak of the viral illness. “Measles is highly contagious, and vaccination remains our best protection against this dangerous disease,” she said in a statement after the death was announced.
The announcement came four weeks after Ms Hochul declared a State Disaster Emergency in response to the surge in cases. Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine offer 97 per cent protection against the disease, according to public health guidance cited by NBC News.
The New York outbreak runs alongside a larger one in neighbouring Pennsylvania, where health officials are fighting the country’s worst outbreak in 30 years. As of Monday, Pennsylvania had recorded 1,433 cases and 269 hospitalisations, according to the Pennsylvania Health Department.
Ms Hochul has tied the resurgence to eroding immunisation. New York’s cases this year have concentrated outside the city, and the virus has circulated across the northern border states through the autumn.
The child’s age and underlying condition were not immediately disclosed. State health officials did not say whether the child had been vaccinated.