From the HERE City National Desk
LOWVILLE, N.Y. — Measles has claimed the life of a Lewis County child, marking the first death tied to the disease in New York in more than three decades, state and county health officials announced Monday.
The state Health Department and the county health agency made the announcement together on Nov. 2. The agencies did not give the child’s age or other details and asked that the family be given privacy.
The death comes amid an outbreak that has spread across parts of New York and nearby states. Through Oct. 24, the state counted 178 measles cases this year. Only eight of those were in New York City; the other 170 were elsewhere in the state, with most of the spread in rural upstate communities.
On Oct. 5, Gov. Kathy Hochul put a statewide disaster emergency in place because of the outbreak. That order widened the group of workers allowed to give measles shots and opened faster access to state resources. In a statement Monday, Hochul said she was heartbroken by the death and blamed federal policy for eroding years of progress against preventable diseases.
State health officials said they have sent help to Lewis County for outreach and local vaccination clinics. Anyone who has not been vaccinated can request MMR shots through the department, which is also tracing contacts of known cases. People reached by contact tracers are asked to respond.
Health officials say one dose of the MMR vaccine is about 93 percent effective and two doses about 97 percent. Under current outbreak guidance, babies as young as 6 months can get an early dose before travel or if they live where measles is spreading, then continue the regular schedule.
The state also runs an online measles tracker, launched in September, that posts case counts by county and is refreshed every Tuesday.
Filed under: Washington DC Health News
