Infant dies in measles outbreak in southwest Wisconsin
An infant recently died of measles in an outbreak in southwestern Wisconsin, that state's Department of Health Services announced Thursday.
This was the measles death reported in Wisconsin since 1990.
"It is with a heavy heart we are reporting the first death of an infant connected with a measles outbreak in Wisconsin in many years. My heart is broken for the family," Wisconsin DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson said in a news release. "Any death of a child is a tragedy and even more so when it is related to a vaccine-preventable disease. Measles can cause serious illness and death, and it is important for all Wisconsinites to evaluate their risk and take steps to protect themselves and their family."
The Wisconsin DHS said as of Tuesday of this week, it had reported 431 measles cases in 13 counties to date in 2026. This was the greatest number of cases seen in the state in more than 35 years, according to the department.
CBS affiliate WISC-TV in Madison reported that more than 350 cases of measles have been reported in southwest Wisconsin alone over the past several months.
One of the most recent confirmed cases was in Columbia County. Cases have also been reported in Buffalo, Chippewa, Dane, Grant, Iowa, Jackson, Lafayette, Marathon, Marquette, Richland, Rock, Vernon, and Waukesha counties, WISC reported. Most of these counties are in southwest Wisconsin, but some are elsewhere in the state.
The department added that not everyone who gets sick with measles seeks medical care or gets tested, so there may be more cases than the reported numbers show.
Nine people have required hospitalization for severe symptoms amid the outbreak, the department said.
Since Aug. 1, the Wisconsin DHS has delivered 2,000 doses of the MMR vaccine to local health departments in areas with confirmed cases. More than 42,000 doses of the MMR vaccine have been administered by health providers since that point.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles, and a single dose is 93% effective. Unvaccinated people 6 months and older who are exposed should call a clinician or local health department right away, since quick treatment can prevent the disease or make it less severe.
Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 but has come back in recent years as vaccination rates have dropped. As of early September, the U.S. had recorded more cases this year than in any year in more than three decades, according to CBS News' tracking of CDC data.
