Another child has died of measles in the United States, according to Wisconsin’s health department. The child lived in Grant County, in the state’s southwestern corner, where more than a third of Wisconsin’s 651 cases have been reported. This loss follows that of a baby who also died in Wisconsin last week.
To protect the child and the family’s privacy, the state health department said it was not releasing any other information.
With 174 new infections, Wisconsin reported the most measles cases of any US state over the past week.
In Pennsylvaniathe country’s other major measles hot spot, officials confirmed 61 new infections over the past week. Its 2026 case count of 1,542 eclipses that of any other state.
A press release this afternoon from the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) said that an unvaccinated resident in Montour County, located in east-central Pennsylvania, tested positive for measles and has died. No other information was given, with DOH citing privacy for the deceased.
It is the state’s seventh measles-associated death this year.
US measles cases now top 5,400
The number of measles cases reported in the United States now stands at 5,412 for the year. Up 230 cases this week, this marks the 14th straight week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a triple-digit increase in measles infections.
Epidemiologists speculate that the true number of people infected with measles this year is far greater, pointing to the fact that the fatality rate is relatively high when considering the number of CDC-reported cases.
It’s estimated that, among unvaccinated children, the fatality rate is one to three deaths for every 1,000 measles cases. However, state health departments report 10 measles-associated deaths in 2026. In addition to the Wisconsin and Pennsylvania deaths, New York state has recorded one.
The United States is no longer a safe place for children in regards to measles.
In its update today, the CDC added two measles-related deaths, for a total of six. The agency has consistently lagged behind individual state reports. It says its death total is “subject to change.”
Also, genomic sequencing data out of Utah, which had a large outbreak earlier this year, show that public health records are missing many measles infections, based on the size of genetic change between these cases, Noel T. Brewer, PhD, with the Gillings School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina, told CIDRAP News. He’s chair of the committee reporting to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on behalf of the United States on measles activity in the country.
If public health authorities recorded every infection, Brewer explained, the genetic differences between cases would be much smaller.
Many people don’t seek medical care for mild or moderate infections—which has troubling implications for further spread, as these individuals may not isolate appropriately to protect others.
Impending loss of measles elimination status
A PAHO commission is meeting this week to determine whether the United States and Mexico will follow in Canada’s wake and lose measles elimination status. Some see this pending loss as a blow to US credibility as a global health leader.
A decision from PAHO is expected November 17, though infectious disease experts overwhelmingly agree that the measles virus is again endemic throughout North America—a public health crisis driven by dropping vaccination rates.
“The United States is no longer a safe place for children in regards to measles,” said Brewer during a webinar hosted yesterday by the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ) about the PAHO meeting.
Indeed, kids and teens continue to account for most reported US cases, and, of this year’s measles-related fatalities, at least four were children.
People who have not been vaccinated, or whose vaccination status is unknown, make up 96% of reported measles cases, according to the CDC. The hospitalization rate for all cases remains at 11%, the same as last week and in 2025.
Pennsylvania ramps up vaccination efforts
Pennsylvania’s outbreak seems to be slowing, State Epidemiologist Lisa McHugh, PhD, MPH, said during the AHCJ webinar.
“We’re hoping that continues,” she said.
Vaccination campaigns to bring the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to under-immunized communities, including home visits, might be helping to slow the spread of measles in Pennsylvania. In September, 56,000 doses were administered in the state; in October, it was 61,000. McHugh said Pennsylvania’s monthly average for MMR is normally about 25,000 doses.
We’re hoping that continues.
Despite these positive developments, Pennsylvania may see an increase in cases in late winter and early spring, when measles infections tend to spike.
61 new cases in Ohio
To Pennsylvania’s west, cases in Ohio increased by 61 infections this week, bringing the state’s 2026 total to 372. But West Virginia, which borders both Ohio and Pennsylvania, has had just two reported cases for all of 2026.
Unlike most states, West Virginia does not allow religious or philosophical belief exemptions for compulsory school vaccines. This has resulted in higher vaccination rates—CDC data show an estimated 98.9% of kindergartners received the MMR vaccine for the 2025-26 academic year.
Ohio and Pennsylvania’s MMR vaccination rates for kindergarteners during the 2025-26 school year were 88.1% and 92.7%, respectively. Minnesota’s was 85.7%, and Wisconsin’s was 85.1%. All these states allow religious, personal and/or philosophical exemptions for school vaccinations.
Minnesota now has 160 cases, as state officials confirmed 21 new infections this week. Indiana reported 37 new cases this week, bringing its total to 171.
Source: www.cidrap.umn.edu
