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First U.S. deaths
Two unvaccinated people died of measles in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County, marking the first measles-related deaths in the state in 35 years and the first in the U.S. this year.
“Two people have died in Pennsylvania from measles”
Pennsylvania health officials said the deaths were the first in the U.S. in 2026, and the state health department reported 393 measles cases in 28 counties as of Tuesday.
Dr. Debra Bogen, Pennsylvania’s secretary of health, 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 for more than three decades, "people are not familiar with this disease and don't fully understand the potential severity of the illness."
The CDC data cited by ABC News shows last year’s total of 2,289 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. was surpassed in late July, with 2,777 total cases recorded since 1991.
The CDC currently recommends two doses of the MMR vaccine, with the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old, and ABC News reported one dose is 93% effective and two doses are 97% effective against measles.
Officials, doctors, and politics
At a media briefing, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen declined to give additional information about the deaths, citing patient confidentiality, while NBC News reported the state would not release any further details about the people who died.
NBC News quoted Dr. Jeffrey Martin of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital saying, "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.
During the same briefing, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he spoke with President Donald Trump’s administration figure Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and that he was "very, very blunt" with Kennedy about vaccinations, adding, "There’s real-life consequences to scaring people and not relying on actual doctors and actual medical professionals."
CIDRAP News reported Paul Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, saying Kennedy has led "a war on vaccines, a public relations war against vaccines," and Offit said Kennedy’s goal was to scare people about vaccine safety.
The BBC reported Shapiro called the measles deaths "completely preventable" and said the MMR vaccine was the best tool to protect against illness and death, while officials said they would not share additional information about the identities of those who died.
What comes next
The measles outbreak is expanding beyond Pennsylvania’s deaths, with ABC News reporting that in late July the number of confirmed measles cases in the U.S. surpassed the total reported for all last year and that the 2,777 total is the highest number of cases recorded since 1991.
“Hospital staff "are going to have a tough time trying to make sure that everybody … is protected"”
NBC News said Lancaster County has seen the majority of measles cases in the state’s growing outbreak, and it reported that as of Tuesday 393 cases had been confirmed in Pennsylvania, with 86 diagnosed in the past week and 70 people hospitalized for measles complications.
CIDRAP News said Geisinger Medical Center in Danville restricted access to the newborn intensive care unit because of a potential measles exposure from a hospital visitor, and it described the hospital staff’s challenge as "a tough time trying to make sure that everybody … is protected."
The CDC guidance cited by ABC News and the BBC includes two-dose MMR protection, and NBC News added that children as young as 6 months are eligible for an early, extra dose of the MMR vaccine during outbreaks.
In the broader policy fight over vaccination, Zonebourse reported that policies pursued under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and an executive order calling for fewer childhood vaccinations are tied to declining vaccination rates, while the BBC reported the U.S. is on track to lose its status of having eliminated measles, to be determined by a panel in November.