Two unvaccinated people have died from measles in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, marking the state’s first measles fatalities in 35 years and the first nationwide deaths this year. State health officials confirmed the outbreak has reached 393 cases across 28 counties amid a broader national resurgence.
Pennsylvania Confirms First Measles Deaths in 35 Years
Two residents of Lancaster County have died from measles in Pennsylvania, state health officials confirmed Tuesday. Both individuals were unvaccinated, although officials have withheld further information to protect their families’ privacy. The deaths are the first in the United States this year, and the first in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 35 years.
Lancaster County has emerged as the epicenter of the state’s growing outbreak, accounting for the majority of infections. State health officials reported that the outbreak has grown to 393 confirmed cases across 28 counties, with 86 of those diagnoses diagnosed in the past week. Hospitalizations have also climbed, with 70 people in the state so far hospitalized for measles complications.
“Because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, people are not familiar with this disease and don’t fully understand the potential severity of the illness,”
Dr. Debra Bogen, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health
Dr. Bogen added in her 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.
Health officials note that measles can lead to pneumonia and brain swelling, and around one in five people who contract it are hospitalized. Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide about 97% protection, usually for life.
Echoes of the 1991 Philadelphia Outbreak
The return of fatal measles cases carries particular weight in Pennsylvania because the last time measles proved deadly there was 1991, during one of the most troubling outbreaks in Philadelphia’s modern history. More than 1,400 measles cases were recorded during the 1990-91 Philadelphia outbreak, most involving children, and nine children died.
Two fundamentalist religious communities became major centers of transmission during that era. Faith Tabernacle Congregation and First Century Gospel Church rejected vaccination and conventional medical treatment in favor of faith healing. CDC records show that roughly 480 cases and six deaths occurred within the religious community alone.
The situation in 1991 became so serious that authorities went to court to have dangerously ill children hospitalized and others vaccinated despite parental objections, with contemporary reports describing officials making house-to-house visits as the death toll climbed. Today’s outbreak highlights a different kind of public health challenge, driven by steady declines in routine immunizations.
In Lancaster County, the number of kids getting the MMR vaccine has been falling steadily, dropping from 95.5% in 2017 to 87.6% in 2025. This downward trend mirrors wider national patterns. More parents than ever are actively avoiding vaccines for their children. Recent CDC data show that during the 2025-26 school year, 4.2% of kindergartners, about 155,000 kids, had at least one vaccine exemption, up from 3.6% the previous school year.
National Surges and Federal Policy Debates
The Pennsylvania fatalities arrive amid a broader nationwide resurgence of the virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2,777 measles cases have been reported nationwide this year, the highest number in 35 years in the U.S. As of August 20, 193 people with measles, about 7% of cases, have been hospitalized this year.
Nationwide, the vast majority of infected people are unvaccinated. Last year saw three people die of measles: an adult in New Mexico, and two young girls in Texas. Health authorities warn that the highly contagious viral illness is transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. The measles virus can remain infectious in the air and on surfaces for up to 2 hours after an infected person leaves an area, and infected people are contagious from 4 days before the rash starts through 4 days afterward.
The rising case numbers coincide with intense national debate over federal health policy. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order meant to drive down the number of vaccines recommended for children. The move, which was backed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., drew sharp criticism from pediatricians and public health experts. When asked on national television if he would tell his grandkids to take the measles vaccine, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated, I’m not going to give medical advice to people on national television. I don’t do that. I’ve never done that.
Продолжение темы
