Get you up to speed: Two unvaccinated people die of measles in US state of Pennsylvania
Two unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, have died from measles, marking the first fatalities from the disease in the state this year. The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed that further details could not be disclosed due to privacy concerns.
Investigation into the recent measles deaths is ongoing, with the Pennsylvania Department of Health collecting data on vaccination status among local residents. So far this year, Pennsylvania has reported 393 measles cases across 28 counties, contributing to a nationwide total of at least 2,777 confirmed cases.
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Debra Bogen cautioned that “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.” In response to the outbreak, health officials are intensifying public health campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of vaccinations as confirmed measles cases in the US have reached at least 2,777 this year, with Pennsylvania reporting 393 cases across 28 counties.
What remains unclear — The Pennsylvania Department of Health has not disclosed further details about the deceased individuals due to privacy concerns.
Two unvaccinated residents die from measles in Pennsylvania
News|HealthTwo unvaccinated people die of measles in US state of Pennsylvania
Experts warn that declining vaccination rates have opened the door for resurgence of disease once largely eradicated.
Published On 25 Aug 202625 Aug 2026
Published On 25 Aug 202625 Aug 2026The US state of Pennsylvania has reported that two residents died from measles, marking the first fatal cases this year of the disease that had previously been largely eradicated in the United States.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health said on Tuesday that both of the deceased were unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County, but did not share additional details due to privacy concerns.
“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,” said Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Debra Bogen.
The US is facing the most severe measles outbreak in years as vaccination rates drop below levels that medical experts say are necessary to confer herd immunity. That decrease has been partly driven by an anti-vaccination movement that includes prominent members of the Trump administration, such as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
At least 2,777 confirmed cases of measles have been recorded in the US thus far this year. Pennsylvania has been among the hardest hit by the outbreak, recording 393 measles cases across 28 different counties.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month calling for the number of recommended vaccines for children to be reduced, continuing a push to roll back decades of scientific consensus on the safety and efficacy of vaccinations.
Trump and Kennedy, also known as RFK Jr, have pushed debunked claims linking vaccinations with autism and purged government health panels tasked with making recommendations on vaccine policy.
“We all thought the Texas outbreak and the deaths there last year would be a wake-up call. Then we had the outbreaks in South Carolina and Utah,” Dr Angela Dunn, former Utah state epidemiologist and previously a division director in infectious disease response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Reuters news service.
Three people died from a measles outbreak in 2025 that began in West Texas and spread to New Mexico.