Key facts
- A fifth unvaccinated person has died of measles in Pennsylvania.
- The deceased was a resident of Lancaster County, the epicenter of the outbreak.
- Pennsylvania has recorded 943 measles cases and 176 hospitalizations.
- The CDC is officially reporting only two measles deaths nationally.
- Over 8,500 MMR vaccine doses have been administered in Pennsylvania this year.
A fifth unvaccinated individual has died from measles in Pennsylvania, marking the latest fatality in an ongoing outbreak that began in late April. The state's health department announced the death on Wednesday, identifying the deceased as a resident of Lancaster County, which has become the epicenter of the outbreak.
Across Pennsylvania, there have been 943 reported measles cases in 39 counties, with 119 new cases identified in the past seven days. At least 176 people have been hospitalized due to the virus. Lancaster County alone accounts for 381 cases and three of the five reported deaths.
Previous deaths in the state included a newborn boy, a 6-week-old baby girl, an unvaccinated 18-year-old with a severe neurological complication, and an unvaccinated 40-year-old woman with underlying health conditions. Prior to this year, Pennsylvania had not recorded a measles death in 35 years, and these five are the only measles deaths reported in the U.S. this year.
The article suggests that declining vaccination rates, influenced by misinformation from anti-vaccine activists, have contributed to the resurgence of measles. It notes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently reporting only two national measles deaths, a figure that conflicts with state-level reporting and has been attributed to altered reporting criteria under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In response to the outbreak, Pennsylvania health officials are actively working to vaccinate residents, having administered over 8,500 doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine this year, including thousands at pop-up clinics in affected areas. Health officials emphasize that full vaccination, with two doses of the MMR vaccine, provides 97 percent lifetime protection against measles.