A child in New York has died of measles, state health officials announced late Monday. It is the state’s first reported measles-related death in more than 30 years and the seventh linked to the disease in the US this year.
The other six deaths were reported in Pennsylvania, where more than 1,430 people have contracted measles this year. Before those fatalities, Pennsylvania had not recorded a measles-related death in 35 years. New York has reported 170 measles cases across more than a dozen counties.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she was heartbroken by the child’s death and offered condolences to the family. She also linked the fatality to federal policies and anti-vaccine activism, describing the death as a warning about the consequences of undermining efforts to prevent disease.
The Washington Post reported that, days before the latest death, career scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were blocked from publishing a health alert for clinicians. The proposed advisory was intended to address the risks and management of measles during pregnancy.
Measles infections during pregnancy can pose severe risks to pregnant people and fetuses. CDC scientists sought to share guidance through the agency’s Health Alert Network, the report said. The article also attributed rising outbreaks and deaths to declining vaccination rates and the spread of vaccine misinformation.
Sources: Ars Technica.