Two unvaccinated people die from measles in Pennsylvania, officials confirm

Two unvaccinated people have died from measles in Pennsylvania, state health officials confirmed Tuesday.

They are the first measles deaths reported in Pennsylvania in 35 years and the first deaths reported in the US in 2026. Last year, the US saw three measles deaths: two in otherwise-healthy but unvaccinated school-age children in Texas and one in an unvaccinated adult in New Mexico. Prior to those deaths, the US had not seen a measles death since 2015, when a woman with underlying conditions became severely ill.

Citing privacy, health officials in Pennsylvania are not providing information on the people who died beyond that they were unvaccinated and were residents of Lancaster County. Officials noted that the deaths are among 393 confirmed cases reported this year across 28 counties.

The new deaths come as vaccination rates continue to slip nationwide and cases of the virus—one of the most contagious in the world—continue to surge. Already in 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tallied at least 2,777 cases, the highest total since 1991.

The US had previously declared measles eliminated in 2000, after concerted vaccination efforts broke the chains of transmission over a 12-month period. But now, US vaccination rates have slipped to around 92 percent, significantly below the 95 percent target needed to prevent the virus from spreading in communities. Non-medical vaccination exemptions, meanwhile, have reached yet another record high this year, hitting 4 percent.

In Pennsylvania, vaccination rates against measles have fallen from 96.7 percent in 2017 to 92.7 percent in 2026, according to data compiled by the CDC. In Lancaster county, where the deaths occurred, only 87.6 percent of kindergartners were fully vaccinated against measles in the last school year, according to state data.

MMR vaccine safety

Pennsyvlania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen expressed her deep sympathy for the families of those who died, while putting the deaths in context and urging residents to be get vaccinated.

“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,” Bogen said in a statement. “We want to ensure every Pennsylvanian has the information they need to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities. 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.”

While measles fatalities are rare—between 1­–3 in 1,000 cases—the risk is demonstrably real. And in many more cases, the disease can be severe, leading to hospitalizations and complications, some of which can lead to hearing loss and intellectual disabilities. The virus also causes a rare but fatal neurological condition called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), which typically strikes years after a child seemingly recovers from the infection.

Two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine—generally given at around 1 and 4 years of age, respectively—are 97 percent effective against the virus. The combination vaccine has proven safe in rigorous testing and over decades of global use in millions of children.

Still, anti-vaccine rhetoric, misinformation, and disinformation have shaken confidence in the vaccine, driving down vaccination rates. Some of that damaging discourse has come from Trump administration officials, most notably ardent anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is currently the US health secretary. But President Trump himself has also contributed, falsely claiming in a White House press event two weeks ago that the MMR vaccine can be “quite lethal.” The MMR vaccine has never been linked to a death in a person with a competent immune system (it’s not recommended in those who are immunocompromised).