A fourth measles death is reported in Pennsylvania
[September 16, 2026]
By MIKE STOBBE
NEW YORK (AP) — Pennsylvania officials have reported a fourth
measles-associated death.
The latest death involved an 18-year-old resident of Mifflin County, in
the center of the state, the county coroner's office said in a Facebook
post. The cause was acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, a rare and
severe neurological complication of measles, it said.
On Saturday, a 40-year-old woman from Jefferson County, a rural area in
western Pennsylvania, died of measles complications. And last month, two
measles-infected infants died in Lancaster County, in the southeastern
part of the state.
None of the four were vaccinated, according to the state health
department. The infants were too young for vaccinations, according to
current recommendations.
The U.S. is enduring its worst year for measles since 1991 and has seen
seven reported measles-associated deaths in the last two years — more
than the combined total of reported deaths over the previous three
decades.
Pennsylvania's measles outbreak continues to grow, with nearly 700
illnesses reported so far this year across 38 counties, including about
100 cases in the last seven days. The measles-associated deaths are the
first reported in the state in 35 years, state officials say.
“My thoughts are with the two families who lost loved ones to this
highly contagious virus, as Pennsylvania faces the worst measles
outbreak in more than three decades,” the state's health secretary, Dr.
Debra Bogen, said in a statement Tuesday, referring to the two most
recent deaths — those of the adults.
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 “We remain committed to working with
our partners across Pennsylvania to stem this outbreak and prevent
more deaths. That means ensuring people have the facts about measles
and access to the MMR vaccine, which kept measles outbreaks at bay
for decades.”
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 due to parental waivers, health care 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.
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