On Thursday, health officials announced that a death case related to measles has been reported in which a woman died in the spring. They said it is the first death case as a result of measles since 2003. It is also the first death case in the state since 1990.

According to Washington State Department of Health spokesman Donn Moyer, the woman did not show some of the measles' common symptoms, like a rash and as a result of this, the infection was not diagnosed until an autopsy was done.

Moyer said that this year, it is the 11th case of measles in Washington and also the sixth in Clallam County. Moyer said measles is highly communicable and when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs, it spreads. However, cases of death caused by the diseases are very rare.

It was not revealed by officials whether the woman received vaccinations; however, they said that she was having a compromised immune system.

As per reports, she was suffering from a number of health conditions and was hospitalized in the spring at a facility in Clallam County; the northern area of the Olympic Peninsula also comes under it.

According to Moyer, "This tragic situation illustrates the importance of immunizing as many people as possible to provide a high level of community protection against measles. People with compromised immune systems cannot be vaccinated against measles". He added that even after vaccination, their immune system may not work properly when exposed to the disease.