Measles Death
A child dies of measles in Lewis County, New York's first such death in more than 30 years.
Lewis County, New York, lost a child to measles, state health officials announced Monday, the state's first death tied to the disease in more than three decades.
The New York State Department of Health and Lewis County Public Health called the loss deeply saddening in a joint statement and asked that the family's privacy be respected. Officials released no name, no age. No other details came out.
New York has logged 178 measles cases this year. Of those, NBC News reported, 170 were outside New York City, including 15 in Lewis County. ABC News, citing an Oct. 24 count, put New York City's tally at eight cases.
Gov. Kathy Hochul declared the outbreak a state disaster emergency in October, a month before the child's death, ABC News reported. Registered nurses can now order specimen collection and testing for suspected cases under that order. The first such move by any state since measles cases began climbing last year, according to ABC News. "Measles is highly contagious, and vaccination remains our best protection against this dangerous disease," Hochul said in a statement issued after the death was announced.
Pennsylvania is fighting the country's worst measles outbreak in 30 years. The state's health department counted 1,433 cases and 269 hospitalizations as of Monday, NBC News reported. Six people have died there.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed 4,852 measles cases as of Friday, NBC News reported. ABC News put the national tally above 4,800, the highest count since 1991. Unvaccinated people, or those whose vaccination status is unknown, accounted for at least 96 percent of this year's U.S. measles cases, ABC News reported, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Early symptoms include cough, runny nose and a fever that can reach 104 degrees, ABC News reported, citing the CDC. A rash often follows, starting at the hairline before spreading down the body.
Officials recommend two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first around age 1 and the second around age 5. Two doses give about 97 percent protection against measles for life, according to NBC News and ABC News. During outbreaks, infants as young as 6 months can get an early dose ahead of that schedule.
New York has not reported any other deaths tied to the outbreak as of Monday.