An infant in southwestern Wisconsin has died of measles, the first death from the disease in the state since 1990, Wisconsin health officials said Thursday.
The death comes as Wisconsin records its highest measles case count in more than 35 years, according to the state Department of Health Services.
A coroner ruled measles the immediate cause of death. The department would not say where the baby died or share anything else, citing a wish to protect the family.
Kirsten Johnson, who heads the department, said in a statement that she was heartbroken and that losing a child is even more tragic when a vaccine could have prevented the illness.
Wisconsin has logged 431 measles cases in 13 counties this year, more than tenfold the 36 reported in 2025. Nine people have been hospitalized, and all but three cases involve people who were not vaccinated.
Earlier shots for infants
Most infections trace to spread among residents of Grant, Iowa, Lafayette and Vernon counties, with the rest tied to travel outside the state. Dr. Ryan Westergaard, the department's chief medical officer, said the real toll is almost certainly higher because many infected people are never tested or reported.
The death we’re reporting today is a tragic reminder of what can happen when measles begins circulating again.
Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Wisconsin DHS chief medical officer
Officials also issued new guidance: babies 6 to 11 months old who face a higher risk of exposure should get an early MMR dose instead of waiting for the usual first shot at 12 to 15 months. Dr. Stephanie Schauer, who manages the state immunization program, said 500 to 600 infants have received the early dose over the past three months.
For babies under 6 months and others who cannot be vaccinated, Westergaard said, the best defense is immunity among the people around them. Two doses of the vaccine are about 97% effective against measles.
Gaps in coverage
Statewide, providers have given more than 42,000 MMR doses since Aug. 1, and the state has sent 2,000 doses to local health departments in hard-hit communities.
Stopping measles from spreading easily requires roughly 95% vaccination coverage. About 85% of Wisconsin kindergartners are vaccinated, compared with 92% nationally, and some areas of the state fall well below that average.
A Wisconsin Policy Forum report released Thursday found that 87.4% of K-12 students met all of the state's minimum school immunization requirements in 2025-26, a near-record low. The group pointed to more required shots, fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and its vaccines, and a rise in family waivers.
Federal health officials have confirmed four measles-associated deaths nationally this year, though state tallies run higher; Pennsylvania alone has reported five and is investigating a sixth. The U.S. had halted domestic measles spread in 2000 through high vaccination rates.
