Pennsylvania records fifth measles death as outbreak nears 1,000 cases
Pennsylvania has reported a fifth measles-associated death — an unvaccinated Lancaster County resident — as the state tally climbs to 943 cases across 39 counties, the worst US measles year since 1991.
Pennsylvania health officials reported a fifth measles-associated death on Wednesday, an unvaccinated resident of Lancaster County, as the state’s outbreak continues to grow towards 1,000 cases.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health said no further personal details would be released, and that the death met the state’s measles-associated death definition and has been reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The state’s outbreak now stands at 943 confirmed cases since April across 39 counties, including at least 176 hospitalisations. All but four of the cases have been among people who were not fully vaccinated.
The four earlier deaths were an unvaccinated 18-year-old in Mifflin County, a 40-year-old woman in Jefferson County, and two infants in Lancaster County — none of them vaccinated, according to the department. The infants were too young for vaccination under current recommendations.
The country is enduring its worst year for measles since 1991, with nearly 3,700 cases nationwide. Eight measles-associated deaths have been reported in the last two years — more than the combined total of the previous three decades.
The count remains disputed. The CDC had confirmed only two measles-related deaths nationally as of Tuesday, after shifting its tally to National Center for Health Statistics mortality data rather than state classifications — a change that has fuelled a row between Governor Josh Shapiro and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
HHS told Reuters Pennsylvania had made no formal request for federal help, but the CDC was ready to send epidemiologists if asked.
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