A child in Lewis County, in northern New York State near the Canadian border, has died after contracting measles, health authorities announced on Monday, November 2, Rezo Nòdwès reported. It is the first measles death in that part of the United States in 30 years.

Governor Kathy Hochul said she was heartbroken by the child's death and called it a devastating reminder of the risks of weakening prevention policies. New York State declared a state of emergency over measles in October.

The United States has recorded 4,834 confirmed measles cases since the start of 2026, according to AFP figures cited by Rezo Nòdwès. The country declared measles eliminated in 2000. Critics accuse Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of fueling distrust of vaccines.

Measles causes high fever, respiratory symptoms and a rash, and can lead to pneumonia or encephalitis, which can cause lasting brain damage or death. Before the vaccine arrived in the early 1960s, the disease killed hundreds of American children every year.