BACKWARD STEP

Resurgent Illness Kills 1st Child in New York in 30 Years

The government’s position on immunization has shifted under the Donald Trump administration.

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A child has died of measles in New York for the first time in three decades, according to state officials. This comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spearheads government efforts to change the official stance on immunization. “I am heartbroken to learn that a child in Lewis County has died after contracting measles,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. She didn’t hesitate to link the death to changes at the federal level. “This is New York’s first measles-related death in 30 years, a devastating reminder of what’s at stake when Washington deliberately erodes decades of progress in protecting Americans from preventable illnesses,” she said. Immunization experts say U.S. rates have fallen below the required 95 percent needed to prevent outbreaks. This comes despite the domestic spread of the highly contagious virus being stopped in 2000. Three measles-associated deaths have been confirmed this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, despite higher numbers being reported by state and local officials. As of late October, the CDC had counted 4,588 measles cases nationwide so far this year.