NY child dies of measles, marking states first death from the disease in 30 years

An upstate New York child has died of measles, marking the state’s first death from the highly contagious disease in more than three decades.An unvaccinated child in Lewis County died after contracting measles amid a historic outbreak in the state, the New York State Department of Health and Lewis County Public Health announced on Monday.The measles death marks the first in the Empire State in over 30 years, and comes just four weeks after Gov.Kathy Hochul declared a State Disaster Emergency in response to a surge in cases of the viral disease.Hochul said she was heartbroken by the news of the child’s death.

“As a mother and grandmother, I cannot imagine what this family is going through.My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved this child,” she said in a statement.“Measles is highly contagious, and vaccination remains our best protection against this dangerous disease.

This is New York’s first measles-related death in 30 years, a devastating reminder of what’s at stake when Washington deliberately erodes decades of progress in protecting Americans from preventable illnesses,” she added.“In New York, we will continue to stand by proven public health measures and do everything we can to keep New Yorkers safe and healthy.”The child who died wasn’t publicly identified, nor were their age and sex released.The last New Yorker to die of measles caught the virus during a large outbreak in New York City from March 1990 to the summer of 1991.The virus killed at least 21 people and sickened thousands.

Lewis County, a rural area in the state’s North Country region, has the fourth-highest measles case count in the state, with 15 cases reported this year as of last week.Seneca County currently has the highest, with 30 cases.Public health records show all 15 cases in the county are among unvaccinated people.Last month, Hochul issued the executive order emergency to allow the state to respond swiftly to the measles outbreak and enable healthcare...