Pennsylvania's measles outbreak is the largest in decades in the US
[October 06, 2026]
By MIKE STOBBE
NEW YORK (AP) — Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,000 measles cases this
year, state health officials said Monday, making it the largest state
outbreak in more than three decades.
The U.S. is enduring its worst year for measles since 1991, with nearly
3,900 reported cases, according to the CDC. The nation has seen eight
reported measles-associated deaths in the past two years — more than the
combined total of reported deaths over the previous three decades.
Since the beginning of last year, large outbreaks have been reported in
several states, including Texas and Utah, as well as South Carolina,
which had the largest with 997 cases reported.
The governor of New York on Monday declared a disaster emergency because
of measles cases in neighboring states and in rural areas of New York.
The executive order extends the pool of people who can administer
measles vaccines to include paramedics, midwives and others, and allows
nurses to join doctors in ordering testing. The state has more than 100
cases this year.
Health officials say Pennsylvania’s current outbreak started in April,
west of Philadelphia. There have been 1,004 cases, including 198
hospitalizations and five deaths, state officials said.
Health experts attribute such outbreaks to low vaccination rates.
It's been decades since a U.S. state has seen an outbreak surpass 1,000
cases, stretching back to a multiyear outbreak in New York City in the
early 1990s that infected more than 4,500 people.
The nation eliminated the domestic spread of measles in 2000 by
maintaining high vaccination rates, but those rates have fallen in
recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks.
In November, international health officials will meet to determine if
the U.S. and Mexico have lost their measles-free status.
Measles is highly contagious. It spreads when people who have it
breathe, cough or sneeze, and through contaminated surfaces. It also can
linger in the air for two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are
susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
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A nurse, prepares a combination measles, mumps and rubella vaccine
for a patient at a pediatrics clinic in Easley, S.C., March 17,
2026. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon, File)
 U.S. measles infections have been
surging in recent years, as fewer kids get routine vaccines due to
parental waivers, healthcare access issues and rampant
disinformation.
Pennsylvania and New York are not the only states with a growing
problem. Another is Ohio, with more than 200 cases this year. Like
in Pennsylvania, some of the hardest-hit Ohio counties have
significant Amish populations, which tend to have lower vaccination
rates.
Meanwhile, CDC officials have quietly begun to acknowledge
measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania.
State officials in August announced that two unvaccinated residents
died after being infected with measles.
The announcement quickly came under fire as a clash erupted between
vaccine-promoting Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and U.S. Health
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Trump administration appointee
with a history of raising alarms about established vaccines.
Since then, Pennsylvania has reported three additional deaths.
But for weeks, the CDC — which Kennedy oversees — did not count any
deaths on its measles data dashboard, instead saying it was seeking
more information. That changed two weeks ago, when one death was
finally counted, and again last week when a second was added to the
agency's tally.
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