Pennsylvania Records a Fifth Measles Death as U.S. Endures Its Worst Year Since 1991

Pennsylvania health officials reported a fifth measles-associated death Wednesday as the U.S. endures its worst year for the disease since 1991.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health said the person was from Lancaster County and was unvaccinated. The state did not provide any further information about the person who died. Lancaster County’s coroner, Stephen Diamantoni, MD, said that his office did not handle the death and that state officials have not provided him with any details.

The state’s other deaths have included an 18-year-old resident of Mifflin County, in the center of the state; a 40-year-old woman from Jefferson County, a rural area in western Pennsylvania; and two infants in Lancaster County, in the southeastern part of the state.

None of them were vaccinated, according to the state health department. The infants were too young for vaccinations, according to current recommendations.

The U.S. has now seen eight reported measles-associated deaths in the last 2 years — more than the combined total of reported deaths over the previous three decades.

Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak continues to grow, with 943 illnesses reported so far this year across 39 counties. The measles-associated deaths are the first reported in the state in 35 years, state officials say.

The nation eliminated the domestic spread of measles in 2000 by maintaining high vaccination rates, but they have fallen in recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks. Meanwhile, measles infections have been surging in recent years.

In November, international health officials will meet to determine if the U.S. and Mexico have lost their measles-free status.

The problem has been years in the making, as fewer kids get routine vaccines because of parental waivers, healthcare access issues, and rampant disinformation. More recently, Trump administration health officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have questioned and sown doubt about the established safety of vaccines at an unprecedented level while also defunding local efforts to improve vaccination rates.