A Wisconsin infant has died of measles — the first death from the viral illness since 1990, the state health department reported Thursday.

The death comes as Wisconsin has experienced the largest number of measles cases in more than 35 years, Dr. Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, told reporters at a media briefing Thursday afternoon.

DHS officials have not released other information about the death, citing the privacy of the family involved.

In 2026, nine people have been hospitalized with measles, and the state has recorded 431 measles cases in 13 counties. That is “almost certainly an underestimate,” Westergaard said. “Not everyone who becomes infected gets tested or comes to the attention of public health.”

The cases reported in 2026 are more than 10 times the number reported in 2025.

“Just last year, we reported 36 cases, and in the decade before that, most years we had either zero or one measles case per year,” Westergaard said.

“Measles was once a common childhood infection in the United States,” he said. “What brought it under control was vaccination to the point that many physicians practicing today have never seen a case. That was an extraordinary public health achievement. But it wasn’t permanent and it wasn’t inevitable that we would have that success.”

The MMR vaccine, which protects against mumps, measles and rubella, is the principal line of defense from the virus, but vaccination rates have been falling.

“Two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97% protective against measles,” Westergaard said. “This is a vaccine we’ve used for decades. We have extensive experience about its safety and its effectiveness.”

For maximum effect, about 95% of the population needs to be vaccinated to prevent measles from spreading easily through a community. In Wisconsin, about 85% of kindergarten-age children are vaccinated, and nationally the rate is 92%.

“And that’s really the central issue here,” Westergaard said. “Measles is now spreading because there are enough people who are susceptible to infection for the virus to continue finding new hosts.”

Vaccination rates also vary widely across the state, falling well below the 85% average in some areas.

“We have many pockets in communities throughout Wisconsin that have these lower levels, that we are concerned if measles is introduced, we could see community spread,” said Dr. Stephanie Schauer, the Wisconsin immunization program manager. “You have to really be aware of what are the rates at your school and in your community and in your county.”

Westergaard said DHS is recommending that people get the MMR vaccine if they haven’t had it. Statewide, healthcare providers have given about 42,000 doses of the shot since August, he said.  

DHS also has issued new guidance recommending that infants who are 6 to 11 months old and who are considered at increased risk of exposure to measles get an early dose of the vaccine. Westergaard said DHS has sent healthcare providers a notice about the early shot and that providers can recommend it to those patients with infants whose risk level warrants it.

Schauer said between 500 and 600 infants in Wisconsin have received the early shot in the last three months.  

Measles typically begins with a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, with its telltale symptom, a red rash over the body, showing up several days later. It is not simply a childhood illness, Westergaard said. It can cause pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, permanent disability and death.

Measles is also extraordinarily contagious. The airborne virus can remain in a room for as long as two hours after an infected person leaves. When a person who’s not immune is exposed, “there’s a very high likelihood they’ll become infected,” Westergaard said.

For that reason, “we need people to recognize measles infections when they do occur and do everything we can to avoid exposing others,” he said.

Schauer said the state needs to ensure all children have access to vaccines, and that more can be done to make families aware of the Vaccines for Children program, which enables families with no insurance or  inadequate insurance to get vaccines at no cost.

Falling vaccination rates aren’t limited to the MMR vaccine.

A report the Wisconsin Policy Forum released Thursday finds that the percentage of students in grades K-12 who have met all of Wisconsin’s minimum immunization requirements for schoolchildren is at a near-record low, 87.4% for the 2025-26 school year.

That rate is up slightly from the previous year, but it’s still “much lower than the level that would provide population-wide protection against outbreaks of disease,” the report states.

The report identifies several reasons for the declining rates. They include an increased number of shots added to the list of required vaccines, the “disruption and controversy” surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent vaccines for that illness, and an increase in the number of waivers from school vaccine requirements sought by families.

The report suggests that public health officials work to target students behind schedule in their vaccines, reduce the number of “personal conviction waivers,” which parents can file if they are opposed to vaccination in order to exempt their children from school requirements, and rebuild trust with the public.

NEW YORK — Facing a surge of measles cases in New York state’s rural counties, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an executive order on Monday allowing paramedics, pharmacists, midwives and other non-physicians to administer vaccines.

Hochul’s decision to declare a “state disaster emergency” comes amid the nation’s worst measles outbreak in more than 30 years and an eruption in neighboring Pennsylvania that is the largest that any single state has experienced since the early 1990s.

As of Oct. 3, New York had reported 108 total cases, its highest number since 2019. Pennsylvania has recorded more than 1,000 cases this year, and state officials there have attributed five deaths to the disease (so far the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has only confirmed two of them.) There have been no deaths in New York.

As of October 1, the CDC had recorded more than 3,887 confirmed cases this year in the United States.

“No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease. That is why I have taken steps to increase the number of health professionals who can vaccinate and test,” Hochul said in a news  release.

Also on Monday, New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, announced that the state would join 15 other Democratic-led states in suing the Trump administration over its decision to scale back the childhood vaccination schedule. Joining in the lawsuit are the state attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin, and the governor of Pennsylvania.

Measles is a respiratory virus that leads to symptoms of fever and rash, and can cause serious health complications, such as pneumonia and even death. It’s highly contagious and can be contracted through exposure to contaminated air or surfaces. It is entirely preventable, however, with the two-dose MMR, or measles, mumps, and rubella, vaccine.

Children under a year old, who are typically too young to receive the first dose of the vaccine, are highly susceptible.

Through a robust vaccination campaign, measles was declared to be effectively eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, according to the CDC. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-vaccination sentiment began to rise, and measles cases have surged over the past  two years.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is an outspoken vaccine skeptic and has opposed vaccine mandates. Under Kennedy, the agency has called into question the safety and efficacy of vaccines and  recommended fewer vaccines for children. The move has prompted most states to unlink their vaccine guidance from federal recommendations and form their own health alliances and standards.

Combined with efforts by Republican-leaning states to weaken vaccine mandates, the federal shift has contributed to a decline in the vaccination rate among kindergarteners and a resulting increase in measles cases.

According to health policy research group KFF, 92.4% of kindergartners received the MMR vaccination for the 2025-2026 school year, compared with 95% in the 2019-2020 school year. During the last school year, 39 states had MMR vaccination rates below 95% — the minimum considered necessary to prevent community spread, according to KFF.

Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist at the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois Chicago praised governors for taking action to stop the spread of measles. But Wallace said it’s critical that the federal government encourage people to get vaccinated to slow the spread of the disease.

“There really isn’t a national promotion of ‘Hey, we’re having an outbreak right now. Please vaccinate your kids. The MMR is safe and effective, and it prevents measles.’ That’s not being pumped out on social media. That’s not being put on TV,” Wallace said. “So this administration is not promoting the best tool that we have to prevent severe disease from viruses.”

Nationally, the CDC reports that 352 people have been hospitalized this year due to measles. Of the 3,887 confirmed cases, 61% are people younger than 19 and 95% were not vaccinated or had an unknown vaccine status.

According to CDC data, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Wisconsin, Texas, and Virginia are experiencing the highest number of cases.

The rise in cases under Kennedy’s leadership has prompted Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro to call for the secretary’s ouster.

“He’s making it harder for governors to be able to keep people safe in our communities. I’m actually shocked that the president is letting him get away with this,” Shapiro said in a recent NBC News interview. “I don’t know why he’s still allowing him to even serve in the role”.

Stateline reporter Shalina Chatlani can be reached at schatlani@stateline.org.

This story was originally published by WPSU. 

Amid a growing measles outbreak, Pennsylvania officials reported the third measles-related death in the state so far this year in Jefferson County.

Jefferson County Coroner Greg Furlong confirmed the death of a 40-year-old female Jefferson County resident in a social media post early Sunday morning. Furlong said no further details will be shared.

“This is a heartbreaking loss for the family and an unfortunate reminder that measles can be a serious and potentially life-threatening disease,” Furlong said.

Jefferson County’s Chief Deputy Coroner and Public Relations Officer Jason Stiver said that severe illness with measles is uncommon. Still, he said, people should not take the disease lightly. Stiver urged people to recognize early symptoms and consult with healthcare providers.

“This tragedy highlights that measles should not be taken lightly,” Stiver said. “Public health measures, early recognition of symptoms, and consultation with healthcare providers are important tools in protecting our community.”

The previous two measles-related deaths happened in Lancaster County, where a large portion of the state’s measles cases are reported.

As the outbreak grows across the state, Pennsylvania’s Department of Health is leading a vaccination campaign against the disease. DOH administered more than 3,500 MMR vaccines last month and nearly 1,000 this month.

According to the most recent data posted to a public dashboard, there are 676 total measles cases so far this year in Pennsylvania.