Technology and Science25 August, 20263 min read
Pennsylvania Health Department Reports Two Unvaccinated Measles Deaths in Lancaster County
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Two unvaccinated Lancaster County residents died from measles, health officials say. Pennsylvania's first measles deaths in 35 years, highlighting outbreak severity nationwide.
Pennsylvania measles deaths
Pennsylvania reported two measles deaths in Lancaster County, with the state health department saying both people were unvaccinated and that the deaths were the first measles-related deaths in the state in 35 years.
Governor Josh Shapiro will join officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Health at 11:30 a.m. to provide an update on the ongoing measles outbreak, as Dr. Debra Bogen said, "Because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, people are not familiar with this disease."
As the outbreak grew, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 676 measles cases in the state, and a coroner’s office reported a 40-year-old unvaccinated woman in Jefferson County died on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from complications associated with measles.
CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz said, "CDC was not notified by Pennsylvania officials of this death," while the state health department said it was investigating the death reported by the Jefferson County coroner.
The CDC currently recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, with one dose 93% effective and two doses 97% effective against measles, according to the CDC.
CDC excludes deaths
The CDC’s latest national measles update excluded two measles deaths reported by Pennsylvania health officials last week, with Ars Technica describing the move as breaking precedent that states are the arbiters of case and death determinations.
Ars Technica reported that the CDC’s website added an unusual statement noting, "At this time, available information does not establish whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths" while continuing to track measles surveillance.
CNN said the CDC’s decision escalated a feud between HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Democratic governor Josh Shapiro, and quoted Pennsylvania’s Department of Health press secretary Neil Ruhland saying, "Every reported measles case is thoroughly reviewed to confirm it meets the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) case definition".
CNN also quoted HHS press secretary Grace Davis Jamison saying, "The two measles-associated deaths announced by Pennsylvania have not been confirmed based on the information currently available to CDC," as the CDC delayed its weekly Friday update and posted it over the weekend.
Ars Technica further reported that on August 29 at 2:33 pm ET the CDC chart listed the total measles deaths for 2026 as "0," then changed to "2," and later removed the two deaths by August 30 at 3:23 pm ET.
What’s at stake next
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office said the 40-year-old woman died on Saturday, September 12, 2026, and Coroner Greg Furlong called it "a heartbreaking loss for the family and an unfortunate reminder that measles can be a serious and potentially life-threatening disease."
“A 40-year-old female resident of Jefferson County died on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from complications associated with measles.”
CNN reported the woman contracted measles after a family member had it, and that she had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, and asthma, and had been on supplemental oxygen 24 hours a day before getting measles.
In Pennsylvania, the state health department said it was conducting its own review and would provide updated information when it became available, while Dr. Erica Schwartz said Pennsylvania had not requested a CDC Epi-Aid and that CDC remained ready to provide support as soon as the state officially requests it.
The dispute over how deaths are counted also fed into broader concerns about vaccination and reporting, with CBS News quoting Dr. Debra Bogen saying, "We want to ensure every Pennsylvanian has the information they need to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities."
At the national level, the CDC’s approach to measles-associated deaths and the timing of its weekly updates became central to the controversy, as CNN described the CDC’s measles death tally being listed with an asterisk and footnote that the update would not include the two deaths reported by Pennsylvania on August 25 while CDC reviewed additional information.