Pennsylvania health officials have confirmed two measles-associated deaths. The individuals were unvaccinated.
The deaths are the first measles-related fatalities in Pennsylvania in 35 years, the commonwealth’s health department said Aug. 25. They are also the first two U.S. measles deaths confirmed in 2026. Both individuals resided in Lancaster County, a southwest county that abuts Maryland.
The department said it will not share details “that could personally identify these individuals and their families.”
“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,” Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health Debra Bogen, MD, said in a statement. Nearly 20% of people who contract the virus are hospitalized and 1 to 3 patients per 1,000 cases die, according to the department.
In 2025, the CDC confirmed three measles-related deaths and 2,289 cases. The CDC has not yet confirmed the two deaths in Pennsylvania; however, the agency updates its measles outbreaks webpage every Friday. 2026’s national tally of measles cases (2,777) recently surpassed 2025’s. Approximately 390 of those cases are in Pennsylvania.
Federal moves to change childhood immunization practices could further disrupt the nation’s response to measles outbreaks. An Aug. 10 executive order from President Donald Trump recommended splitting the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into three separate shots, as well as narrowing the list of immunizations recommended for all children.
“Experts noted these changes would not be feasible or safe,” the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a statement reacting to the order. “Individual vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella have not been available in the U.S. since they were phased out of production in 2009. Rolling them out as individual shots would take years and mean more trips to the doctor, more shots and more time without protection from dangerous diseases. Measles cases already are at a 35-year high amid rising misinformation and declining vaccination rates.”
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