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The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) on Thursday announced the death of an infant amid an ongoing measles outbreak in the southwestern region of the state.
Although the agency described the death as “associated” with the outbreak, officials said the coroner listed measles as the immediate cause of death.
The distinction between a death associated with measles and one directly caused by the infection is important in determining how health officials classify and report fatalities. In Wisconsin’s case, the department explicitly indicated the coroner identified measles as the cause of death.
State DHS officials did not disclose the infant’s age, whether the child had underlying medical conditions or if the mother had contracted measles. They did not respond to those or other questions from The Defender for this story. The coroner could not be reached Friday.
“To protect the privacy of the family and the child, DHS will not release any additional information related to the death,” the agency said in a statement.
There are no measles vaccines approved for children under age 1, so an infant younger than 12 months would not be eligible for the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Wisconsin has recorded 431 measles cases across 13 counties as of Nov. 5, the state’s highest total in more than 35 years, according to the health department. Nine patients have been hospitalized.
Since 1991, in Wisconsin, there have been four deaths reported to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) following MMR vaccines.
The most recent report, from 2006, is of a 13-month-old girl who was vaccinated with live viruses of measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella. She was later found to have an undiagnosed severe genetic immunodeficiency. The vaccine infected her with both mumps and the varicella virus. The vaccine-strain infections induced respiratory failure and a cascade of complications that killed her.
The Wisconsin measles fatality follows two others reported this week — one in New York and one in Pennsylvania — bringing the number of measles-related deaths reported by state health departments this year to eight.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has counted only four measles deaths this year, highlighting a discrepancy between federal and state reporting. The CDC does not automatically include every death reported by state officials in its national tally.
Nationally, the CDC has reported 5,182 measles cases this year, more than double the 2,289 reported in 2025.
Pennsylvania death prompts debate about how fatalities are classified
The latest Pennsylvania death illustrates why the circumstances surrounding measles-associated fatalities warrant closer examination.
According to a Nov. 4 report by The Washington Post, the state’s sixth measles-associated death involved a 21-year-old unvaccinated Amish woman from Jefferson County who died Sept. 30 after giving birth at home.
The county’s coroner did not respond to The Defender for this story.
The woman experienced postpartum hemorrhage, acute liver failure and multiple organ failure. Suspected measles was listed as a contributing cause of death, not the immediate cause. Her newborn survived and is being cared for by relatives.
The report questions what role measles played in her death and how medical examiners distinguish complications of childbirth from those potentially related to infection.
Previous deaths in Pennsylvania have prompted disagreements over the role of measles.
In August, Lancaster County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni questioned the state’s classification of a newborn’s death as measles-associated. The infant had tested positive for measles acquired before birth, but Diamantoni said the immediate cause of death was a lacerated spleen.
Measles was subsequently listed on the death certificate as a significant contributing condition, although Diamantoni disputed whether the infection caused the death.
In another Pennsylvania case, Diamantoni confirmed that a 6-week-old girl died Aug. 18 from measles. However, the infant also had Amish lethal microcephaly, a rare inherited disorder, and had been receiving palliative care at home shortly after birth.
Since1990, in Pennsylvania, there have been eight deaths reported to VAERS following MMR vaccines, including an infant in June of this year, who died unexpectedly seven days after vaccination.
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New York coroner declines to disclose cause of death
In New York, state and local health officials announced Nov. 2 that a child in Lewis County had died in connection with an ongoing measles outbreak.
The announcement described the death as measles-associated but did not identify the immediate cause or disclose whether the child had other medical conditions.
As The Defender reported Nov. 3, Lewis County Coroner Jeffery Tompkins confirmed that the child was a 7-month-old unvaccinated Amish boy. However, as noted above, all 7-month-old infants are typically unvaccinated for measles, as the MMR vaccine isn’t approved for children under age 1.
Tompkins declined to disclose what the death certificate or coroner’s report identified as the cause of death. He also declined to say whether the infant had underlying illnesses.
The New York case differs from Wisconsin’s announcement, which clearly identified measles as the immediate cause of death.
Since 1990, in New York, there have been 20 deaths reported to VAERS following MMR vaccines. The most recent is a 2025 report of a baby who died a few hours after her well-baby checkup, where she received six shots of 12 vaccines.
Related articles in The Defender
- Coroner Confirms 7-Month-Old Is New York’s ‘Measles-Associated’ Death — Health Officials Mum on Details
- New York Declares Measles State of Emergency — Reports 108 Cases So Far This Year
- CDC Officially Lists One Measles Death, as Agency Works to Create Standard Definition
- CDC Revamps System for Counting Measles Deaths, as Pennsylvania Reports Fourth ‘Measles-Associated’ Death
- 6-Week-Old Amish Infant With Fatal Genetic Condition Died From Measles, Coroner Confirms
