From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Health officials today reported the state’s first measles death in 36 years after an infant in southwestern Wisconsin died from the disease.
The state Department of Health Services says the death is linked to the ongoing measles outbreak in the region, coming as the state’s measles count has now reached 431 so far this year.
Dr. Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer for DHS, says that’s far more than Wisconsin typically sees in a given year — and “almost certainly” an undercount.
“The death we’re reporting today is a tragic reminder of what can happen when measles begins circulating again,” he said in a virtual briefing today. “We do have the tools to stop measles transmission. The challenge now is making sure those tools reach the people and communities who need them.”
Among the hundreds of measles cases seen across 13 Wisconsin counties this year, all but three were among unvaccinated people. Nine cases have resulted in hospitalization.
Westergaard today declined to provide information about the vaccination status of the infant who died, citing privacy concerns, but noted many infants are too young to be vaccinated against the highly infectious disease.
The virus spreads through the air, and can remain for up to two hours after an infected person has left the room. If someone who isn’t vaccinated is exposed, they’re very likely to become infected.
“In the era before vaccines, the percentage of people who would get infected with measles was approximately 100%, it’s so effectively transmitted,” Westergaard said. “And when that happens, the number of severe cases and hospitalizations and death was not rare, it was very common … a disease that can spread that quickly can go from a small problem to a big problem very quickly.”
Since the start of August, DHS says it has delivered 2,000 doses of the measles vaccine to local health departments in areas with confirmed cases. A total of 42,000 doses of the MMR vaccine have been administered in the state since then.
See the release below, and see more at the DHS measles website.
— Cellectar Biosciences says it will present new clinical trial data later this year reinforcing the effectiveness of its cancer drug.
The drug development company, which has roots in UW-Madison, yesterday announced it will present “compelling data and clinical progress” for its main radiopharmaceutical drug candidate at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition. It’s being held in New Orleans in mid-December.
Chief Operating Officer Jarrod Longcor said the new results that will be presented “further strengthen the clinical profile” of iopofosine I 131, its drug delivery platform for the radioisotope iodine-313. It’s been tested in clinical trials for the treatment of various forms of blood cancer.
Company leaders at the conference will offer an update on 12-month follow-up data from the Phase 2b CLOVER WaM clinical trial.
Findings show a “significantly longer duration of response” for patients who got the treatment after only two prior lines of therapy, relative to more heavily pretreated patients. The company says that indicates it should be evaluated for earlier treatment settings, pointing to substantial unmet need in this space.
“These findings reinforce our confidence in its clinical potential as we advance our registrational strategy,” Longcor said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the company is targeting the first half of 2027 for an FDA submission seeking “accelerated approval” for its cancer therapies, Longcor added.
“These planned milestones define a clear path forward as we work to bring iopofosine I 131 to patients with limited treatment options,” he said.
Along with the clinical trial findings, the company says it will unveil new details about the design of its Phase 3 confirmatory study for a subset of cancer patients. Initial work to prepare the study site and more have begun, setting the stage for dosing patients in the first quarter of next year.
See the release below.
See more in earlier coverage on the company’s research.
— Wisconsin had the ninth-highest rate of construction workers injured on the job among 41 states included in a recent analysis.
The report, from Massachusetts-based personal injury law firm Breakstone, White & Gluck, used data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2022-2024. It included 41 states that had available data on construction sector injuries.
It found Wisconsin had 4,233 construction worker injuries per year on average, and 136,072 average construction workers per year. The state’s injury rate was 31.11 per 1,000 workers — 36% higher than the national average of 22.92 per 1,000 workers.
Among Midwest states, only Minnesota came in higher on the top 10 list at No. 5 with 34.63 injuries per 1,000 workers. Iowa was just below Wisconsin at No. 10 with 30.06.
Meanwhile, Vermont had the highest rate in the country with 42.12, but a far smaller number for total injuries with just 667 out of its annual construction workforce of 15,827.
Authors note Wisconsin’s rate is more than four times greater than that of Louisiana, which had the lowest injury rate among the 41 states with just 7.24 per 1,000 workers.
The report drew from the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, as well as average annual construction employment from the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.
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Press Releases
– Department of Health Services: Reports a death connected to the ongoing measles outbreak
