Wisconsin's health department said Thursday that an infant died in the measles outbreak in the southwestern part of the state. The coroner listed measles as the cause. It's Wisconsin's first measles death since 1990. The state didn't release the baby's age, county or vaccination status. Wisconsin has 431 cases this year, the most in more than 35 years. Nearly all are in unvaccinated people. Most cases are in Grant, Lafayette and Iowa counties, which are home to large Amish communities. New York reported a child's measles death on Monday, and Pennsylvania reported its sixth on Wednesday. State health departments now count eight U.S. measles deaths this year, the most since 1991. "Any death of a child is a tragedy and even more so when it is related to a vaccine-preventable disease," said Kirsten Johnson, Wisconsin's health secretary.

Washington Made the Outbreak Worse

Critics say federal leaders cast doubt on vaccines, and children are paying for it.

Federal leaders made the outbreak worse. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul blamed Washington for her state's death this week. She called it "a devastating reminder of what's at stake when Washington deliberately erodes decades of progress." Jennifer Nuzzo, director of Brown University's Pandemic Center, called President Donald Trump's childhood vaccine order "political theater" in August. She said falling vaccination rates put the country "on a very dangerous trajectory." She called measles the clearest example. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used to lead an anti-vaccine group.

People in the outbreak zone feel it too. Matt Renwick, a former elementary school principal in Mineral Point, told Wisconsin Public Radio he trusts the measles vaccine. He said he's frustrated that federal leaders have stirred up doubt about it. Democrats won control of Congress in Tuesday's elections. Public health advocates now want them to check Kennedy's vaccine policies.

But HHS Says It's Pushing the Measles Shot

HHS says the measles vaccine is the best protection, and the CDC is helping states.

HHS says it's telling people to get vaccinated. After the New York child died, HHS said Kennedy and CDC Director Erica Schwartz keep making clear that "the MMR vaccine is the most effective way to prevent measles." HHS said the CDC sent epidemiologists to work with New York officials on the ground. HHS hadn't commented on the Wisconsin death as of Thursday night.

The CDC's official death count is lower so far. The CDC has confirmed four of the eight deaths the states report. It now counts a measles death only when death records list measles as the underlying cause. The CDC says it will update its count as more information comes in.

Wisconsin Should Close Its Own Loophole

Democratic lawmakers want to end the state's personal-belief waiver, and they just won the Legislature.

Wisconsin's own waiver rules leave kids unprotected. Only about 85% of the state's kindergartners have had their measles shots. Experts say it takes 95% to stop outbreaks. A record 6.5% of Wisconsin students have a personal-belief waiver. It lets parents skip shots for nonreligious reasons. State Rep. Lisa Subeck, a Madison Democrat, and state Sen. Chris Larson, a fellow Democrat, want to end that waiver. Their bills would keep the medical and religious waivers. "We need to make sure that immunization is at a high, not a low," Subeck said in January.

Democrats will soon run Wisconsin's government. Similar bills got no hearing in the Republican-run Legislature last session, Subeck said. On Tuesday, Democrats won both chambers for the first time in 18 years, according to unofficial results. Democrat David Crowley won the governor's race.

Parents Should Still Make the Call

Republicans and many local families say vaccine choices belong to parents, not the state.

Ending the waiver attacks parents' rights. State Rep. Amanda Nedweski, a Pleasant Prairie Republican, called the repeal bills "a direct threat to medical freedom" in January. "I will never vote for any measure that infringes on parental rights," she said.

Many families here choose shot by shot. Mark Louden is a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who works with Amish and Mennonite communities. He calls the area's Amish and Mennonite families "vaccine cautious." He says families often pick which shots their kids get. He says that choice is theirs. Charles Angell, a resident of Viroqua, told Wisconsin Public Radio that kids get too many vaccines. "Do we really understand what we're doing to our bodies over the course of the long-term," he asked.

Where This Lands

Critics like Hochul and Nuzzo say federal leaders stirred up doubt about vaccines and helped bring measles back. HHS says it's urging people to get the MMR shot and sending the CDC to help. Wisconsin Democrats want to end the personal-belief waiver, and they'll soon control the state. Republicans like Nedweski say that would infringe on parents' rights. The U.S. has held measles elimination status since 2000. Next week, the Pan American Health Organization meets to decide whether it keeps it.

Sources