Both victims were unvaccinated Lancaster County residents. State officials say the deaths mark the first measles fatalities in Pennsylvania since 1991 — and the first in the U.S. this year.
Pennsylvania health officials confirmed Tuesday that two people have died from measles-associated complications, the state’s first measles deaths in 35 years and the first recorded anywhere in the country this year.
Both victims were unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH). The agency has not released their ages, genders, or any other identifying details, citing patient and family privacy.
“My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss,” said Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen in a statement announcing the deaths.
An Outbreak Three Decades in the Making
Lancaster County has become the epicenter of a rapidly growing statewide outbreak this year. As of Tuesday, Pennsylvania had confirmed 393 measles cases across 29 counties this year. Additionally, 86 of those were diagnosed in the past week. The data were collected through state health surveillance and county reports.
This Pennsylvania measles outbreak has stressed local health services. Lancaster County alone has recorded 177 infections since the outbreak began in April.
Seventy people have been hospitalized statewide for measles-related complications. According to the DOH, roughly 1 in 5 people who contract measles require hospitalization, and death occurs in an estimated one to three out of every 1,000 cases.
Bogen said the scale of the current outbreak reflects how unfamiliar the disease has become in a state where it was once considered eliminated.
“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,” she said. “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.”
Part of a Larger National Trend
Pennsylvania’s outbreak is unfolding against the backdrop of a broader resurgence of measles across the United States. Nationally, 2,777 cases have been reported so far this year — the highest annual total in 35 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 7% of those cases, or 193 people, have required hospitalization as of Aug. 20.
Three people died of measles in the U.S. last year: an adult in New Mexico and two young girls in Texas.
Public health experts point to declining childhood vaccination rates as a key driver.
Moreover, nationally, 4.2% of kindergartners, about 155,000 children, had at least one vaccine exemption during the 2025-26 school year.
This rate rose from 3.6% the year before, according to CDC data.
In Lancaster County, the share of children receiving the MMR vaccine has fallen steadily.
It dropped from 95.5% in 2017 to 87.6% in 2025.
This trend relates to the Pennsylvania measles outbreak.
The trend has coincided with shifting federal vaccine policy. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at reducing the number of vaccines recommended for children, a move backed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that drew sharp criticism from pediatricians and public health organizations.
What the MMR Vaccine Offers
The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is typically given in two doses — the first around age 1, the second around age 5 — and offers roughly 97% protection against measles, usually for life, according to public health guidance.
Health officials in Pennsylvania are urging residents, particularly parents of unvaccinated children, to speak with a doctor about the vaccine and to seek medical attention promptly if they develop measles symptoms, which include fever, cough, runny nose, red watery eyes, and a rash that typically begins on the head and spreads downward. Symptoms can appear anywhere from 7 to 21 days after exposure.
This is a developing story.
