Pennsylvania records a fifth measles death as the nation endures its
worst year since 1991
[October 01, 2026]
By MIKE STOBBE
Pennsylvania health officials reported a fifth measles-associated death
Wednesday as the U.S. endures its worst year for the disease since 1991.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health said the person was from Lancaster
County and was unvaccinated. The state did not provide any further
information about the person who died. Lancaster County’s coroner, Dr.
Stephen Diamantoni, said that his office did not handle the death and
that state officials have not provided him with any details.
The state's other deaths have included an 18-year-old resident of
Mifflin County, in the center of the state; a 40-year-old woman from
Jefferson County, a rural area in western Pennsylvania; and two infants
in Lancaster County, in the southeastern part of the state.
None of them were vaccinated, according to the state health department.
The infants were too young for vaccinations, according to current
recommendations.
The U.S. has now seen eight reported measles-associated deaths in the
last two years — more than the combined total of reported deaths over
the previous three decades.
Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak continues to grow, with 943 illnesses
reported so far this year across 39 counties. The measles-associated
deaths are the first reported in the state in 35 years, state officials
say.
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 The nation eliminated the domestic
spread of measles in 2000 by maintaining high vaccination rates, but
they have fallen in recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to
prevent outbreaks. Meanwhile, measles infections have been surging
in recent years.
In November, international health officials will meet to determine
if the U.S. and Mexico have lost their measles-free status.
The problem has been years in the making, as fewer kids get routine
vaccines because of parental waivers, healthcare access issues and
rampant disinformation. More recently, Trump administration health
officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have
questioned and sown doubt about the established safety of vaccines
at an unprecedented level while also defunding local efforts to
improve vaccination rates.
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