Another measles-linked death is recorded in Pennsylvania… bringing death toll to highest in 35 years

Another measles-associated death has been reported by Pennsylvania health authorities, marking the fifth death of 2026 and the most since an outbreak in 1991 killed at least 13 people. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced on Wednesday that it had reported to the CDC that an unvaccinated resident of Lancaster County tested positive for the highly infectious disease and had died. 

To protect patient privacy, the DOH said it will not reveal any additional details about the deceased. 

Along with deaths, this year has also seen the most cases of the measles since 1991.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show 3,659 measles infections have been registered nationwide to date.

And Pennsylvania is the hardest-hit state. The DOH said in a press release that the number of confirmed cases in the state stands at 943 across 39 counties.  

Cases have also been reported in 45 states, with only Arkansas, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Hampshire and Nevada yet to record an infection. 

There is often a discrepancy between state and federal data due to reporting delays and the actual number may be higher or across other states. 

The announcement of the newest measles-linked death comes amid tension between state and federal health authorities over the 2026 measles death toll. 

While Pennsylvania has reported five deaths over the last several weeks, the CDC only just recognized two deaths as attributable to the disease. 

It is yet to include the other two deaths that had been previously reported by health officials in Pennsylvania.  

No further details were given by the CDC on the measles-linked fatalities.

According to state health officials, the four fatalities recorded in Pennsylvania were in two infants in Lancaster County, an 18-year-old in Mifflin County and a 40-year-old in Jefferson County.

The CDC has slowed its reporting amid a dispute between Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. over how measles-related deaths should be counted. 

Measles is the most infectious disease known to man – for unvaccinated people, nine in ten of those exposed to the virus will get infected.

Spread via droplets from coughs and sneezes, in the early stages of an infection, patients suffer from symptoms similar to the flu before developing a red rash that appears on the face or hairline before spreading across the body.

In serious cases, the disease can cause life-threatening pneumonia or encephalitis, or brain swelling. 

Children under five years old, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk from the virus.

Among those who are not vaccinated, estimates suggest about one out of every 1,000 who are infected develop encephalitis while one to three in every 1,000 dies from the disease. 

Infections can be prevented by receiving two doses of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, offered from the age of 12 to 15 months, which slashes the risk of an infection by 97 percent.

To treat the disease, patients may be prescribed medications to ease symptoms or put on an IV drip to prevent dehydration. There is no antiviral drug for the virus. 

So far this year, about 95 percent of those infected with the virus have been unvaccinated or have not disclosed their vaccination status.

The majority of cases have been in school-age children aged five to 19 years old, 1,577 infections, followed by adults aged 20 and older, 1,407 infections.  

There have been 327 hospitalizations, including 91 among children under five years old.

Nationwide, South Carolina has recorded the second-highest tally of infections, at 670 cases to date, followed by Utah, 535 cases, and Texas, 192 cases, and Virginia at 178 infections.