Two people have died due to measles in Pennsylvania, the state Department of Health said Tuesday. Both individuals were unvaccinated.
These are the first US deaths from measles reported in 2026 and the first in Pennsylvania in 35 years.
“My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss,” Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen said in a statement.
“As a physician, I want to make sure that people understand that the MMR vaccine is safe and provides the best protection we have against measles.”
Both people who died were residents of Lancaster County. Pennsylvania health officials said they will not release any additional details about them.
Pennsylvania has confirmed 393 measles cases in 28 counties so far in 2026.
The highly contagious virus has continued its historic resurgence in the US this year, with a second record-breaking year in a row. The country has recorded more cases than 2,700 cases so far this year, more than any other year since 1991 – surpassing a grim milestone that was just topped last year.
The disease was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, but more cases have been recorded in the past year and a half than there have been in the previous 25 years combined. Experts expect the US will lose its elimination status, or the recognition by the World Health Organization that measles is no longer transmitting regularly within a country.
Early symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose,and red, watery eyes, Pennsylvania health officials said, and the measles rash follows a few days later, starting on the head and spreading downward. Symptoms can start seven to 21 days after exposure.
Measles can spread when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, and the virus remains infectious in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after the person with infection leaves the area.
Measles can cause serious short- and long-term health problems, including pneumonia and brain swelling. Death related to measles are rare, but occur in 1 to 3 patients per 1,000 cases.
Two doses of the combined measles-mumps-rubella vaccine are 97% effective against measles. Pennsylvania health officials are recommending early or catch-up MMR doses for people as young as 6 months who aren’t fully protected.
“These deaths are entirely preventable,” said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and an infectious disease physician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Last year, the US reported its first measles deaths in decades, including two unvaccinated children in Texas.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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