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Wisconsin health officials reported the death of an infant related to the ongoing measles outbreak in southwestern Wisconsin.

It’s the first measles-associated death in the state in more than 35 years, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

DHS reported that the coroner listed measles as the immediate cause of death. State officials said no further information about the death is being released to protect the privacy of the child and the family.

DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson said in a statement that her “heart is broken for the family.”

“Any death of a child is a tragedy and even more so when it is related to a vaccine-preventable disease,” Johnson said in the statement. “Measles can cause serious illness and death, and it is important for all Wisconsinites to evaluate their risk and take steps to protect themselves and their family.”

Doctors recommend children get their first dose of the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, between 12 and 15 months.

But Dr. Ryan Westergaard, DHS chief medical officer and state epidemiologist for communicable diseases, announced Thursday on a call with reporters that the state is now recommending infants who are 6 months to 11 months old receive an early dose of the shot if they are at an increased risk of exposure due to the outbreak.

“In an outbreak, when we know that an infant may be exposed to measles, there is a benefit to providing that protection earlier,” Westergaard said. “For families with babies younger than 6 months or others who cannot be vaccinated, the most important protection is making sure that the people around them are immune. That’s one of the reasons that maintaining high vaccination coverage is so important.”

Kids younger than 5 years old are among those most at risk of serious complications from measles, along with people who are pregnant and those with weakened immune systems. The highly contagious virus can cause pneumonia and swelling of the brain.

Westergaard said the red, bumpy rash associated with measles doesn’t usually occur until several days after someone becomes sick. He told reporters than an infection typically starts with fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes, and he urged people to avoid contact with others as soon as these symptoms occur.

“We need people to recognize measles infections when they do occur and do everything we can to avoid exposing others,” said Westergaard, adding that those with symptoms should contact their local health department or medical provider for further guidance.

There have been 431 measles cases across 13 Wisconsin counties as of Tuesday. It’s the highest number of cases in the state in more than 35 years, according to DHS.

And it’s “almost certainly an underestimate” of infections, according to Westergaard. He told reporters that not everyone who becomes infected gets tested or comes to the attention of public health.

Westergaard pointed out that widespread vaccination changed measles from a common childhood infection to a relatively rare disease until recent years.

“That was an extraordinary public health achievement, but it wasn’t permanent and it wasn’t inevitable that we would have that success,” he said. “It depended on doing the hard work of maintaining high levels of immunity in our communities. The death we’re reporting today is a tragic reminder of what can happen when measles begins circulating again.”

The vast majority of cases in Wisconsin this year have been linked to spread of the virus among residents of Grant, Iowa, Lafayette and Vernon counties.

The remaining measles cases have been linked to people being infected with measles during travel out of state.

So far, nine Wisconsinites have required hospitalization for severe symptoms from measles. Over 99% of cases have been in people who are unvaccinated.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been four other measles-related deaths reported in the U.S. this year. 

The MMR vaccine is 97% effective at preventing measles when the person has completed the medically recommended two-dose course.

State health officials are urging residents to check their and their families’ vaccination status through the state’s online registry or with their medical provider.

DHS reported some progress on improving the state’s vaccination rates. Since Aug. 1, the state has delivered 2,000 doses of the MMR vaccine to local health departments in measles-affected communities. Across the state, over 42,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered since Aug. 1.

This story was originally published by WPR.

Infant’s death linked to measles outbreak in southwest Wisconsin is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

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Every August, families in our state settle into familiar routines: filling backpacks with school supplies, scheduling sports physicals and wondering how summer disappeared so quickly. But before the first school bell rings, every family should put one more item on its checklist: making sure everyone — including children, parents and grandparents — is up to date on recommended vaccinations.

That message takes on new urgency with the recent measles outbreak in our state, and President Trump’s executive order calling for significant changes to the nation’s childhood vaccine recommendations, including splitting the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine across separate visits. The order comes amid renewed claims linking childhood vaccines to autism — claims repeatedly contradicted by decades of scientific research.

As vaccine-preventable diseases resurge, Wisconsinites should follow the evidence and trusted medical expertise while making it easier — not harder — for families to protect their children.

All of this is especially fitting during National Immunization Awareness Month. Vaccines are one of the few health decisions that protect not only the individual but those around us as well. Infants, older adults, cancer patients and neighbors with weakened immune systems all benefit when more of us are protected.

Unfortunately, our state is already moving in the wrong direction. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports that only 66.9% of children reaching 24 months of age received the recommended routine vaccine series in 2025, down from 68.8% the year before. MMR vaccination rates among 2-year-olds have fallen below 80%, well below the approximately 95% coverage public health experts say is needed to prevent measles from spreading in a community.

This summer, the United States surpassed 2,700 measles cases, the highest total in 35 years. The overwhelming majority occurred among people who were unvaccinated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Clark and Vernon counties had kindergarten MMR vaccination rates of just 44% and 50%, respectively, creating pockets where a single imported case could quickly spark a local outbreak.

Children are only part of the story. Protection against some diseases fades over time, which is why adults also need routine vaccinations. Many adults remain behind on their recommended flu, COVID-19, Tdap, RSV, pneumococcal and hepatitis B vaccinations. Staying current helps prevent serious illness and hospitalization, particularly among older adults and people with chronic health conditions.

And vaccination isn’t a rural issue or an urban issue — it’s a Wisconsin issue.

Whether you live in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Eau Claire, Platteville, Kenosha or a small town in between, viruses don’t recognize county lines or political boundaries. An outbreak in one community can quickly spread to another, disrupting families, straining health care workers and increasing costs for everyone.

Parents and adults deserve facts — not fear. They deserve public health recommendations grounded in evidence rather than unproven claims. Decades of research have found no credible evidence that vaccines cause autism, and the combined MMR vaccine has been safely used for generations.

The federal government may be changing its approach, but states still have a critical role in protecting public health. My hope is that Wisconsin will do the right thing: follow the evidence, listen to physicians and public health experts and ensure our children continue to have access to vaccinations based on sound medical evidence.

Families should rely on conversations with trusted physicians, nurses, pharmacists and local public health professionals rather than on misinformation circulating online.

As another school year begins, make vaccinations part of your family’s back-to-school routine, and don’t forget the adults in your life. Check immunization records through the Wisconsin Immunization Registry and ask your health care provider which vaccines are recommended for every member of your family.

The healthiest thing Wisconsin students can carry into school this year isn’t in a backpack. It’s the protection that comes from a community committed to keeping one another healthy and from public health decisions grounded in science.

Rob Gundermann is president and CEO of the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging & Health Groups (CWAG).

Guest opinion: As vaccine guidance shifts, Wisconsin families should follow the evidence is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

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A measles outbreak in the southwestern corner of Wisconsin continues to grow.

As of Friday, the state Department of Health Services has identified 41 confirmed and 7 probable cases across Iowa, Lafayette and Grant counties.

All but one of the people infected with measles in Wisconsin this year have been unvaccinated, according to state data. Just over half of the cases have been in children and teens, while 44% are in adults.

State and local health officials are working to stop the highly-contagious virus from spreading further. But that work is being made more complicated by low vaccination rates in some communities.

DHS spokesperson Jennifer Miller said in an email that while the situation remains fluid, “we are seeing confirmed cases in pockets of our communities where individuals are under-vaccinated or unvaccinated.”  

“Whenever there are pockets of lower immunization coverage — whether due to geographic location, health care access, or personal reasons — highly contagious viruses can spread quickly,” Miller wrote.

Like the rest of the U.S., childhood vaccination rates have fallen in Wisconsin as parents’ uncertainty, and in some cases skepticism, around vaccines has spread in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

But state data shows some of the southwestern communities have had declining uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine series well before pandemic. 

Only 60% of two-year-olds in Lafayette County had received one or more of the shots in 2025. Grant County’s rate was just under 64%.

Iowa County, where the majority of the recent measles cases have been located, had a rate similar to the statewide average at nearly 81%. But it’s still well below the threshold needed to prevent an outbreak at 95%.

Plain community may be affected

One community in the region that may be affected by lower vaccination rates are the Amish and Mennonite faith groups. The Christian communities are collectively known as Plain people because of their selective use of modern technology and conservative style of clothes.

Wisconsin has the fourth-largest Amish population of any state in the country, with an estimated 27, 535 Amish people living in the state as of 2025. The population data from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania shows more than 3,000 Amish live across Grant, Lafayette and Iowa counties.

Mark Louden, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of Germanic linguistics, is an interpreter and cultural liaison for the state’s Plain communities. He said the Plain people in Grant and Lafayette Counties have strong family ties to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. 

“There’s a lot of back and forth, just like people traveling back and forth, visiting and so forth, especially this time of year,” he said.

Lancaster County is home to the largest Amish settlement in the U.S. and is at the center of a major outbreak of measles that has sickened more than 300 people in Pennsylvania.

Louden said that while Amish and Mennonites have community standards for technology, health care choices are left up to individuals and their families.

“Even the most conservative or traditional groups out there do access Western healthcare,” Louden said. “While there may be some families that have their kids not vaccinated at all, that’s pretty exceptional.”

Louden characterized Plain communities as “vaccine cautious.” He said they’re more likely to choose which shots they want their children to get instead of just following a recommended vaccination schedule.

But he said their caution or even distrust of vaccines doesn’t just come from their cultural beliefs.

“(It) has been amplified by what they hear from their non-Plain neighbors, who are going down internet rabbit holes and watching certain networks,” Louden said.

Jack Sauer, chair of the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors, said like many places in the U.S., his county used to have higher rates of vaccination. But he questioned how much national rhetoric that questions childhood vaccinations, including from leaders of President Donald Trump’s administration, have had an impact.

“If you listen to anyone on the federal level, there’s a lot of going back and forth on whether the immunizations are good for you or bad for your or whatever they are,” Sauer said. “But I know when I was growing up, which was a long time ago, they were pretty well acceptable.”

Given the rapid spread of cases in neighboring Iowa County, he expects to see more cases in his county before the outbreak is over.

Iowa County Health Officer Debbie Siegenthaler said in an email that her department is working to identify cases and potential exposures and make sure people have access to testing and vaccination.

She strongly encouraged residents to check their vaccination status through the Wisconsin Immunization Registry or through their healthcare provider, especially as children head back to school.

“With increasing number of cases, we want residents to be aware of measles even if they have not been notified of a direct exposure,” Siegenthaler said in the email.

The county is holding a community vaccination clinic at the Mineral Point Rescue Squad office on Monday, Aug. 24 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

This story was originally published by WPR.

Low vaccination rates drive southwest Wisconsin measles outbreak is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.