Washington Woman Dies of Vaccine-Preventable Measles

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Washington health officials confirmed Thursday that a woman recently died because of measles.

The last recorded U.S. death caused by measles, a vaccine-preventable disease, was in 2003. 

The unnamed woman's official cause of death was "pneumonia due to measles," the Washington State Department of Health announced in a statement.

The infection was only discovered during an autopsy. The patient did not exhibit some of the common symptoms of measles, like a rash. The report also noted that the woman was on medication and had a weakened immune system brought forth by several medical conditions.

State health spokesman Donn Moyer said that the woman is the 11th measles case in Washington, the Daily Mail reports.

Dr. Mark Schleiss, professor of pediatrics and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology at the University of Minnesota, said it is not surprising that the death occurred in Washington.

"We know that Washington state is a state with one of the highest percentages of religious and philosophical exemptions for vaccines in the country," Dr. Schleiss said via Forbes.

"It seems a reasonable conclusion that this death occurred because of inadequate immunization levels, but more epidemiological investigation will have to take place to find out."

Officials didn't say whether the woman was vaccinated, but they believe that that she had likely been exposed to the virus at a health facility in Washington during a recent outbreak there.

According to a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 178 people who caught measles from January 1 to June 26 in 24 U.S. states. The majority of the cases were linked to a California amusement park outbreak during December of last year.

The Washington State Department of Health reiterated the importance of getting more people to be vaccinated to protect against potential outbreaks.

"This tragic situation illustrates the importance of immunizing as many people as possible to provide a high level of community protection against measles," the state health department said in a statement.

"Public health officials recommend that everyone who is eligible for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine get vaccinated so they can help protect themselves, their families, and the vulnerable people in their community."

President Barack Obama also urges people, especially parents, to have their children vaccinated, saying that "the science is pretty indisputable," Washington Post reported.