Pennsylvania Records Its First Measles Deaths in 35 Years as Outbreak Nears 400 Cases
Two unvaccinated Lancaster County residents have died as the state's measles outbreak becomes one of the largest in decades — part of the worst national measles year since 1991.
Pennsylvania has recorded its first measles deaths in 35 years, health officials announced Tuesday, as a statewide outbreak concentrated in Lancaster County continues to grow.
The state Department of Health confirmed that two unvaccinated Lancaster County residents died of measles-related complications. Officials withheld their ages and identities to protect the families' privacy. "My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss," said state Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen, according to CNN.
The outbreak has now reached 393 confirmed cases spread across roughly 28 counties, with about half — some 177 cases — concentrated in Lancaster County alone since the outbreak began in April. Roughly one in five Pennsylvania patients has required hospitalization. Health officials say every confirmed case in the state involves someone who had not received both doses of the MMR vaccine.
Part of a Bigger National Surge
Pennsylvania's outbreak is part of a larger national resurgence. The U.S. has now logged more than 2,700 measles cases in 2026 — the highest annual total since 1991, before the disease was declared eliminated domestically in 2000. Public health experts have repeatedly tied the rebound to declining childhood vaccination rates, driven in part by vaccine hesitancy that accelerated during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.
"MY DEEPEST SYMPATHIES ARE WITH THE LOVED ONES FACING THIS UNIMAGINABLE LOSS"
Measles is among the most contagious viruses known, capable of lingering in the air of a room for up to two hours after an infected person leaves it. The MMR vaccine is about 97% effective at preventing infection after two doses, and public health officials say the current outbreak underscores exactly the scenario the vaccine was designed to prevent: near-total protection for the vaccinated, and serious, sometimes fatal, risk for the unvaccinated.
State health officials say they're expanding vaccination clinics and outreach in the affected counties, and monitoring for further spread as the school year begins — a period when unvaccinated children are typically at the highest risk of both catching and spreading the virus. With cases still being confirmed weekly, officials have not said when they expect the outbreak to peak.