State Has 5th Measles Death

UPDATE Sep 30, 2026 5:10 PM CDT

Pennsylvania health officials reported a fifth measles-associated death Wednesday; the person was from Lancaster County and was unvaccinated, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said. No other information was released. The number of measles cases in the state is still rising, the AP reports, with 943 reported this year in 39 counties. The measles-associated deaths are the first reported in Pennsylvania in 35 years, state officials say.

Sep 28, 2026 7:10 PM CDT

Pennsylvania has crossed a grim measles milestone. State health officials on Monday reported adding 115 cases in the past week alone, for a total of 903 this year, per the Hill. That's the highest total of any state, according to CDC data; South Carolina and Utah are next. The surge adds to what is already one of the nation's worst measles years since 1992, threatening the measles-free status the US achieved in 2000 and prompting a review by the Pan American Health Organization in November. The numbers are unfolding against a Washington-Harrisburg clash.

After Pennsylvania reported the first measles-linked deaths of 2026, federal officials including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. questioned whether the fatalities had actually occurred. They were later confirmed as measles-related. The state now attributes four deaths to the virus, while the CDC listed one as of Monday. Pennsylvania's health department said fewer than 1% of infections have occurred in people fully vaccinated against measles, 176 patients have been hospitalized, and about 31% of cases are in children and teens under 18. The nationwide total of reported measles cases this year has topped 3,600, per ABC News.