Two unvaccinated Lancaster County residents have died after contracting measles, marking Pennsylvania’s first measles related deaths in 35 years and the first reported in the United States this year. The deaths were confirmed Tuesday, August 25, by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, while the Associated Press reported that no other measles deaths had been announced nationwide in 2026.
The deaths come as the measles outbreak crisis continues to deepen across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2,777 confirmed measles cases had been reported in the United States as of August 20. That total has already surpassed the 2,289 cases recorded during all of 2025. The CDC also reported 36 new outbreaks in 2026, with 94 percent of confirmed cases connected to outbreaks. The current national case count is the highest since 1991.
Pennsylvania health officials have not released the ages, names, or other identifying information about the two people who died, citing their families’ privacy. Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen said in the state’s announcement, “My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss.” The Pennsylvania Department of Health said the state has confirmed 393 measles cases across 28 counties this year. Reuters reported that 185 of those cases are in Lancaster County.
Bogen also warned that decades without widespread measles have left many people unfamiliar with how dangerous the disease can become. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, measles can lead to pneumonia and brain swelling, and nearly 20 percent of people who contract the virus are hospitalized. The department says measles can result in death in roughly one to three people for every 1,000 cases.
The measles outbreak is unfolding as childhood vaccination coverage continues moving in the wrong direction. CDC data shows that MMR vaccination coverage among U.S. kindergartners fell from 95.2 percent during the 2019 to 2020 school year to 92.4 percent during the 2025 to 2026 school year. The CDC estimates that approximately 280,000 kindergartners were left at risk during the most recent school year. Health officials generally point to vaccination levels above 95 percent as an important benchmark for community protection against measles.
The Pennsylvania health department says two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine provide about 97 percent protection against measles. That level of protection has become especially important as outbreaks have repeatedly taken hold in communities with lower vaccination rates.
Pennsylvania is far from the only state dealing with the consequences. The South Carolina Department of Public Health declared its massive Upstate measles outbreak over in April after 997 cases were recorded between October 2025 and March 2026. State data show 932 of those cases involved unvaccinated people, and 639 involved children between ages 5 and 17.
Utah has also spent more than a year responding to a major measles outbreak. As of August 25, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services reported 715 Utah residents diagnosed during the outbreak, including 518 cases in 2026. Utah officials reported no new cases during the previous three weeks, suggesting transmission there has slowed considerably even as the broader national surge continues.
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, which meant continuous domestic transmission had been stopped, according to the CDC. The agency says cases can still be brought into the country through international travel and then spread rapidly when the virus reaches communities where many people are not protected.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, early measles symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose, and red or watery eyes before a rash develops and spreads downward from the head. Symptoms can appear seven to 21 days after exposure, and the virus can remain infectious in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area.
With U.S. cases now at a 35-year high, the Pennsylvania deaths are another reminder that the measles outbreak is not simply about rising case totals. Public health officials are confronting a highly contagious disease that can become severe or deadly, while shrinking vaccination coverage continues giving the virus more opportunities to spread.
