A baby in Wisconsin died from measles, the state health department reported this Thursday; This is the third measles-related death reported in the United States this week.
It was also the first measles-related death in Wisconsin since 1990, the Department of Health Services said, adding that a medical examiner had determined that measles was the immediate cause of the baby’s death.
The news was released just one day after the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported another measles-related death in that state, the sixth this year. An unvaccinated Jefferson County resident who had tested positive for measles was reported to have died Wednesday.
On Monday, New York health officials announced that a Lewis County child had died from measles. Governor Kathy Hochul declared a statewide disaster emergency due to measles in early October.
In total, the United States has recorded eight measles-related deaths this year, according to data from state health departments. It is the highest number of deaths from measles in the country since 1991.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed four of those deaths. They indicated that they will update their count “as additional information becomes available and relevant reviews are completed.”
None of the eight people died was vaccinated, according to state health departments; some were not eligible due to age or health. Typically, the first dose of the vaccine is given around the child’s first birthday.
Before the outbreaks in Wisconsin, New York and Pennsylvania, none of these states had recorded a measles death in more than 30 years.
Dr. Stephanie Schauer, director of the Wisconsin Department of Health’s vaccination program, said some chains of transmission began when residents traveled out of state to attend events such as funerals and weddings.
(With measles cases on the rise, Pennsylvania doctors see effects the virus may have on children)
The department recommends an early dose of measles vaccine for infants as young as 6 months who are at highest risk for exposure. About 500 of these early doses have been administered since August, Schauer said.
About 85% of preschoolers in Wisconsin have been vaccinated against measles, lower than the national average of 92%. Experts indicate that 95% is the necessary threshold to keep the population protected.
“We can actually eliminate community transmission of measles if we can get enough people vaccinated,” said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, state epidemiologist specializing in communicable diseases. “We have an opportunity to take a disease that could affect everyone and essentially make it go away.”
The health department reported that it has sent 2,000 additional doses of measles vaccine to local health departments over the past several months.
(Pennsylvania becomes the epicenter of the worst measles outbreak in the US in 35 years)
Nationally, the CDC has confirmed 4,852 cases of measles this year – more than double the number last year and the highest number since 1991–. This dramatic increase is due, in part, to a decline in vaccination rates across the country. Two doses of the measles vaccine are 97% effective against the disease.
The outbreak in Pennsylvania, which began in April, is by far the largest in the country, with a total of nearly 1,500 cases in 45 counties, according to the state Department of Health. A Franklin County medical examiner last month reported an additional death possibly linked to measles, but the state Department of Health said Wednesday that it has not yet confirmed any measles-associated deaths in that county.
Measles has been considered eliminated in the United States since 2000, a designation that indicates the virus is no longer constantly circulating, although occasional outbreaks can occur. The Pan American Health Organization, a body under the World Health Organization, will meet next week to determine whether the United States should lose its elimination status.
Measles infections are particularly dangerous for babies and young children, whose immune systems are not always developed enough to fight off an infection. About 1 to 3 in every 1,000 children with measles die from respiratory and neurological complications, according to the CDC.
measles usually starts with a high fevercough, runny nose, and red or watery eyes. From there, people may develop white spots on the inside of the cheeks, near the molars, and a skin rash in the form of flat red spots. Severe cases can lead to pneumonia or inflammation of the brain.
