Wisconsin health officials have confirmed the death of an infant from measles, the state’s first measles-related death since 1990, as the worst outbreak in more than 35 years continues to spread across the state.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced the death on Thursday, 5 November 2026. The coroner listed measles as the infant’s immediate cause of death, and the department said the death was associated with the ongoing measles outbreak in southern Wisconsin.
Officials have not released any further details about the child, including age or vaccination status, to protect the privacy of the family.
“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,” DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson said in a statement. “Any death of a child is a tragedy and even more so when it is related to a vaccine-preventable disease.”
The death comes as Wisconsin records its largest measles outbreak in decades. As of 3 November, the state had reported 431 measles cases across 13 counties this year — the highest number in more than 35 years — and at least nine people have been hospitalised with complications from the disease, according to the DHS.
Health officials have urged unvaccinated residents to get the MMR vaccine, saying vaccination is the best way to prevent measles. The two-dose MMR vaccine is 97% effective against infection, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Source: TMJ4 News, reporting the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announcement.
