Governor Kathy Hochul announced the Lewis County child’s death on 2 November, after declaring an emergency to expand vaccination and testing as measles cases spread.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the child died in rural Lewis County, marking the state’s first measles-related death in 30 years. Officials announced the death on 2 November; they did not establish the date of death.
Ars Technica counted 7 reported measles-linked deaths in the US in 2026: the child in New York and 6 deaths reported in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania’s health department lists 5 deaths and said its investigation into the other, reported by the Franklin County coroner on 12 October, remains pending.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists 3 measles-associated deaths nationally. It says the count may change as it receives more information and completes relevant reviews.
New York has recorded 170 cases across more than a dozen counties. Nationally, the CDC counted 4,852 confirmed cases as of 29 October 2026, compared with 2,289 for all of 2025. Both totals are preliminary. At least 511 people have been hospitalized.
States and the CDC publish case figures on different schedules. The CDC’s case count includes confirmed cases notified to the agency, not probable cases. It is also working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists on a standard definition for measles deaths to make classification and reporting more consistent.
Hochul declared a disaster emergency in early October because of cases in neighboring states and rural New York. Her order allowed more people, including paramedics and midwives, to administer measles vaccines and allowed nurses as well as doctors to order tests.
Hochul linked the child’s death to Washington’s stance on immunization, calling it a reminder of what is at stake when the federal government erodes progress against preventable illnesses. US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has changed vaccination policy, including cutting childhood immunization recommendations by a third, The Guardian said.
Membership calls for national restoration and conservation targets and plans to deliver them. WWF Armenia’s director says it could open access to international support and funding.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and a person can become infected by entering a room where someone with measles has been. It can cause pneumonia, acute encephalitis—inflammation of the brain—and, rarely, long-term neurological disease.
The US declared measles eliminated in 2000, which the CDC attributes to high coverage with the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. CDC data show kindergarten MMR coverage fell from 95.2% in the 2019–2020 school year to 92.4% in 2025–2026. The agency says coverage above 95% protects most people through community immunity, though local pockets of unvaccinated people can exist even in states with high coverage.
The CDC says 2 MMR doses are 97% effective at preventing measles, although infections can occur in vaccinated people, especially during outbreaks. It advises people to discuss vaccination with a healthcare provider, particularly before travel.
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The CDC confirmed H5N1 infection in the Washington state resident, who had exposure at a dairy with infected cattle. Local and state health officials are identifying and monitoring close contacts.
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The mission documented Sabu’s wife Ikhetnefert’s previously unknown offering chapel and also reported mummy remains in their son Ptahshepses’s sarcophagus.
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