U.S. measles deaths rise to 10 after new reports in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin

Total measles deaths in the United States this year rose to 10 on Friday, a grim milestone in an outbreak that has seen a record number of infections and prompted state and local health departments to ramp up vaccination efforts.

Pennsylvania and Wisconsin each reported a new measles-associated death on Friday. The Wisconsin Health Department said a child had died, but declined to release more information, citing the family’s privacy. The Pennsylvania Health Department said its latest death was an unvaccinated resident of Montour County who had tested positive for measles.

The virus, the most contagious known to humans, can lead to deadly complications, like pneumonia or swelling of the brain, in unvaccinated people.

So far this year, Pennsylvania has reported seven measles-associated deaths, Wisconsin has reported two and New York has reported one. Prior to those deaths, none of the states had seen a measles death in more than 30 years.

As of Thursday, around 5,400 measles cases have been recorded in the U.S. — more than double last year’s count and the highest since 1991. Public health experts attribute the outbreak to a sharp decline in measles vaccination rates coupled with a global resurgence of the virus.

Measles…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health