New York state reports first measles-linked child death in over 30 years amid outbreak

• New York state reported its first measles-linked child death in over 30 years. The death was in Lewis County during an ongoing outbreak.
• Governor Kathy Hochul declared a State Disaster Emergency in October. She acted after measles spread across New York and nearby states.
• The health department is helping Lewis County with outreach and vaccination efforts. It said these steps support the response to the outbreak.

NEW YORK – The New York State Department of Health said on Nov 2 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.

The state’s Governor Kathy Hochul in October declared a State Disaster Emergency in response to the measles outbreak across areas of New York and neighbouring 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 US 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 Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Epidemic Intelligence Service, or Epi-Aid, response.

As of Oct 24, New York had reported 178 measles cases in 2026, 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 US Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment outside business hours.

The CDC has recorded three measles-related deaths in 2026, but did not name the states where they occurred.

Pennsylvania has been the epicentre of the outbreak in 2026, reporting 1,433 confirmed cases and five measles-associated deaths so far in 2026.

The gap in numbers follows a policy shift under US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, with the CDC switching to the National Centre for Health Statistics’ mortality data to track measles deaths, replacing its earlier reliance on state health departments’ figures. REUTERS