A child’s measles death in Lewis County marks New York’s first such fatality in 30 years; U.S. vaccination coverage has fallen below the level considered necessary to prevent outbreaks.
Measles cases in rural New York and neighboring states preceded Gov. Kathy Hochul’s early-October disaster declaration. The order gave nurses authority to order tests; it also authorized paramedics, midwives and other workers to administer vaccines.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed three measles-associated deaths in the United States this year. Pennsylvania authorities have reported five deaths, with an inquiry continuing into a potential sixth.
After years of high vaccination rates, the United States stopped domestic measles transmission in 2000. A 95% vaccination coverage rate is considered necessary to prevent outbreaks, but U.S. coverage has fallen below that mark in recent years.
Hochul described the child’s death as “a devastating reminder of what’s at stake when Washington deliberately erodes decades of progress in protecting Americans from preventable illnesses.”
