Key facts
- The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said the coroner listed measles as the infant's immediate cause of death.
- Wisconsin had 431 measles cases across 13 counties as of November 3, with nine people hospitalized.
- State epidemiologist Ryan Westergaard said the 431 cases are almost certainly an underestimate.
- Pennsylvania reported its sixth measles-associated death this year on November 4, per state health officials.
- The CDC has recorded four measles-related deaths this year and did not name the states where they occurred.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said on November 5 that an infant had died in connection with the state's measles outbreak, with the coroner listing measles as the immediate cause of death. The department declined to release further details to protect the family's privacy.
Wisconsin had reported 431 cases across 13 counties as of November 3, with nine people hospitalized for severe symptoms. State epidemiologist Ryan Westergaard said in a media call that it was the largest number of measles cases in Wisconsin in more than 35 years, and that the 431 figure was "almost certainly an underestimate" because not everyone infected gets tested or comes to public health attention.
State health officials said they had worked with local and Tribal health departments on case tracking, testing and vaccination efforts. The Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The death comes as the United States faces its highest number of measles cases in decades, driven by outbreaks in several states and declining childhood vaccination rates in some communities. Pennsylvania health officials reported the state's sixth measles-associated death this year on November 4, and New York state reported its first measles-associated child death in the week before November 5.
The CDC has recorded four measles-related deaths this year but did not name the states where they occurred. The body reports the gap follows a policy shift under US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with the CDC switching to the National Center for Health Statistics' mortality data to track measles deaths instead of relying on state health departments' figures.