Wisconsin Reports Infant Measles Death, First in the State Since 1990, as 2026 Cases Reach 431

Days after New York reported its first measles death in more than 30 years and a day after Pennsylvania confirmed its sixth, Wisconsin has now recorded a death of its own.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced today, Thursday, Nov. 5, that an infant died amid the ongoing outbreak in southwestern Wisconsin. State health officials said it is Wisconsin's first measles-related death since 1990. The coroner listed the immediate cause of death as measles.

The department's announcement did not give the infant's age, home county or vaccination status.

"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," said DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson. "Any death of a child is a tragedy and even more so when it is related to a vaccine-preventable disease."

ABC News reported that, with Wisconsin's death, the total number of measles deaths reported by state health departments across the country stands at eight: six in Pennsylvania, one in New York and one in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin numbers

As of Nov. 3, DHS counted 431 measles cases across 13 counties in 2026. That is the highest total in Wisconsin in more than 35 years.

Nine of those patients have been hospitalized with severe symptoms, according to the department.

DHS says measles can cause pneumonia and brain swelling. Children under 5, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems face the highest risk of complications.

Symptoms typically appear 10 to 21 days after exposure. The department's advice to anyone exposed who is not immune is to stay home and monitor for symptoms. It is also urging everyone to check their vaccination status.

How Wisconsin compares with Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's outbreak is far larger. The state Department of Health reported 1,467 confirmed cases across 45 counties as of Nov. 4, with 283 hospitalized. Its six deaths include three in Lancaster County, two in Jefferson County and one in Mifflin County.

Wisconsin has had nine hospitalizations among its 431 cases, while Pennsylvania has had 283 among its 1,467.

Pennsylvania officials said the two women who died were unvaccinated and that the infants were too young for vaccination under current recommendations.

Pennsylvania also reported 61,000-plus MMR doses administered in October, more than double a typical month, according to its health department.

How the death counts differ

The national tally depends on whose definition is used. As of its Oct. 29 update, the CDC listed 4,852 confirmed U.S. measles cases this year and four deaths.

The CDC counts a death as measles-related only when the National Center for Health Statistics lists measles as the underlying cause on the death certificate. Pennsylvania counts a death as measles-associated if it occurs within 30 days of symptom onset in a person with clinical evidence of measles and a positive lab test, unless the death is from an unrelated cause. That gap is why Pennsylvania's six deaths exceed the federal figure.

The Wisconsin coroner's finding, with measles as the immediate cause, is the state's determination. The CDC applies its own underlying-cause test.

Pennsylvania shows how contested a single case can be. The department said it was aware of a reported October death of a Franklin County resident. The Franklin County coroner said the woman had several underlying conditions, including a past measles diagnosis with treatment. As of Nov. 4, the state said its investigation had found no case there meeting its criteria for a measles-associated death.

CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz discussed the growing outbreak and an early flu surge on Fox News on Oct. 21, in a segment titled "CDC confirms third measles-related death in US."

What comes next

DHS has not said whether it has reported the infant's death to the CDC. The CDC's next update will show whether the federal count of four deaths moves, and by what standard.