A child infected with measles has died in Lewis County, New York, state and local officials announced Monday. It is the first measles-related death in the state in three decades. The child’s death came during an ongoing outbreak, which led Gov. Kathy Hochul to declare a statewide state of emergency in October.
The New York State Department of Health and the Lewis County Department of Health issued a joint statement offering condolences to the family and asking that its privacy be respected. “We are deeply saddened by the death of a child in Lewis County connected to the ongoing measles outbreak,” the officials said. They stressed that measles is an extremely contagious disease that can lead to serious complications and death.
According to state health data, 178 cases had been reported statewide as of Oct. 24. In Lewis County alone, 15 cases had been confirmed as of Oct. 14, all among people who were not vaccinated against measles.
Gov. Kathy Hochul called the child’s death a “tragedy” and urged residents to get vaccinated. “As a mother and grandmother, I cannot imagine what this family is going through. My heart is with everyone who knew and loved this child,” the governor of New York said.
Hochul also criticized the actions of the federal government, accusing it of undermining long-standing achievements in preventing infectious diseases. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for its part, said that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had sent epidemiologists and other experts to New York at the request of state authorities to help with data analysis and efforts to combat the outbreak. HHS stressed that the MMR vaccine remains the most effective way to prevent measles.
According to the CDC, two doses of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, provide about 97% protection against measles infection. About one in five unvaccinated people infected with measles requires hospitalization, and one in 20 children with the disease develops pneumonia, the most common cause of measles deaths in that age group. In about one in 1,000 children, the disease leads to encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain.
Editor: JŁ
Source: Nowy Dziennik
