Full story
First U.S. deaths
Two unvaccinated people died of measles in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County, the state health department said Tuesday, marking the first measles-related deaths in the U.S. this year and the first in Pennsylvania in 35 years.
“Two Pennsylvania residents died after contracting measles”
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen said in a statement, "My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss," and she added that because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, people are not familiar with the disease.
The outbreak has continued to expand, with Reuters reporting that Pennsylvania was contending with 393 measles cases across 28 counties so far this year and with the U.S. having 2,777 confirmed cases as of Aug 20.
NBC News reported that as of Tuesday, 393 cases had been confirmed in the state and 86 were diagnosed in the past week, while 70 people had been hospitalized for measles complications.
The CDC currently recommends two doses of the MMR vaccine, with one dose 93% effective and two doses 97% effective against measles, the 6abc Philadelphia report said.
Officials and doctors speak
During a media briefing at Lancaster General Health’s Women & Babies Hospital, Dr. Jeffrey Martin of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital said, "These tragic deaths remind us that measles is not a harmless illness," and he warned that pregnant women and children are vulnerable if they are not vaccinated.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he declined an offer from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to provide federal assistance for the outbreak response, and he said, "I was very, very blunt with him."
Shapiro added that "There’s real-life consequences to scaring people and not relying on actual doctors and actual medical professionals" to provide unbiased information to parents.
NBC News reported that the executive order signed earlier this month was backed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and drew sharp criticism from pediatricians and public health experts.
Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, wrote in a statement that "When enough eligible individuals receive the vaccine, the entire community develops a level of immunity" that protects babies too young to be vaccinated.
What’s at stake next
With the U.S. reporting 2,777 measles cases as of Aug. 20, Reuters said the country is contending with the highest number of cases of the disease in more than three decades as vaccination rates drop.
“the highest number of cases of the highly infectious disease in more than three decades”
The Reuters report tied the outbreak context to President Donald Trump’s executive order criticizing the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and calling for the long-used combination shot to be split into three separate shots, while also quoting Trump’s claim that there is a "possibility they are quite lethal" together.
NBC News reported that Lancaster County’s MMR vaccination rate has fallen from 95.5% in 2017 to 87.6% in 2025, and it said the CDC recommends two doses at ages 12 to 15 months and between 4 and 6 years old.
WHYY reported that since April, Lancaster County has recorded 177 measles infections and that state leaders said vaccine misinformation and distrust in scientific evidence on vaccine safety and efficacy is driving waning immunization rates.
In a statement, HHS and the CDC said they were working to "strengthen response efforts, rapidly support affected communities across the state, and communicate the steps people can take to slow the spread of measles," as the outbreak continues to spread beyond Lancaster County.