Vaccination rates fell below the 95% level needed to prevent outbreaks
New York state officials said Monday that a child in rural northern New York had died after contracting measles. The death was the state’s first from the disease in 30 years. Gov. Kathy Hochul said the child died in Lewis County, about 93 miles (150 kilometers) north of Syracuse.
The United States stopped the domestic spread of measles in 2000 by maintaining high vaccination rates.
Vaccination rates have fallen in recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks of the viral disease.
Hochul, a Democrat, said the child’s death is “a devastating reminder of what’s at stake when Washington deliberately erodes decades of progress in protecting Americans from preventable illnesses.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed three measles-associated deaths in the U.S. this year, but state health departments have reported higher numbers.
Pennsylvania health officials have reported five deaths this year and are investigating a possible sixth.
Hochul declared a disaster emergency in early October because of measles cases in neighboring states and in rural areas of New York.
The executive order expanded the pool of people who could administer measles vaccines to include paramedics, midwives and others.
The order also allowed nurses to join doctors in ordering testing.