Pennsylvania reported its first measles-related deaths in 35 years as the United States reached 2,903 confirmed cases in 2026. This total already exceeds last year’s and represents the highest annual count since measles was declared eliminated in the country in 2000.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed on August 25 that two unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County died from measles-associated illness. Officials withheld further details about the individuals to protect privacy.
Lancaster County at the center of the outbreak
The deaths occurred in Lancaster County, where 185 measles cases have been reported this year. That number makes it one of the largest single-county outbreaks in the U.S. Across Pennsylvania, 393 cases have been logged in 28 counties, placing the state third nationwide.
The CDC reported the national total as of August 27 but has not included the two Pennsylvania deaths in its official count. The agency is reviewing whether measles caused or contributed to the fatalities or if other factors were responsible.
Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the deaths highlight the seriousness of the disease. “In 2026, decades after measles was eliminated in the United States, it is heartbreaking to see deaths from a preventable illness,” he said. The vaccine has been widely used since the 1970s.
A dispute over how the deaths are counted
The announcement led to a public disagreement between federal and state officials. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. questioned whether the deaths were properly attributed to measles. The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office later revealed that one deceased was a newborn whose primary cause of death was a lacerated spleen, though the infant also tested positive for measles.
Governor Josh Shapiro accused Kennedy of spreading vaccine misinformation, escalating tensions. The conflict grew when CDC Director Erica Schwartz ordered the agency to exclude the two deaths from its weekly count, breaking from usual practice.
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The CDC’s data page now includes a note stating that available information does not confirm measles as the cause. Pennsylvania officials insist both deaths were thoroughly investigated and correctly classified.
Families in Lancaster County have faced canceled plans, quarantines, and heightened concern. Parents who once considered measles a thing of the past now confront a resurgent disease that can still be deadly, even in a country with advanced medical care. The deaths have forced a reckoning with how quickly herd immunity weakens when vaccination rates drop.
The CDC recommends two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, which offers about 97% lifetime protection. Vaccinated individuals who contract measles usually experience milder symptoms.
Infants in outbreak areas are advised to receive an early dose at six months. This does not provide long-term immunity, so the standard schedule remains doses at 12 to 15 months and again at four to six years.
Health officials are urging pharmacists to check vaccination status during routine visits. The focus is on children, travelers, and adults born after 1957 who may lack documented immunity. Agencies continue to stress that the MMR vaccine is one of the most effective tools against the disease.
A single case can spark an outbreak.
