Vaccination Rates
FILE - Dr. Jessica Early holds a vial of the combination measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at Prisma Health Pediatrics in Greer, S.C., March 18, 2026.
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Pennsylvania health officials report that two unvaccinated residents have died after being infected with measles. They are the first measles-related deaths in the U.S. this year, following three last year. The U.S. is experiencing its worst measles year since 1991, with 2,777 cases reported as of Thursday. In November, international health officials will assess if the U.S. and Mexico have lost their measles-free status. Vaccination rates have dropped below the 95% needed to prevent outbreaks, with exemptions rising to an all-time high among kindergartners. State officials aren't giving any more details about the two people, except that they lived in Lancaster County.
Pennsylvania has counted nearly 400 measles cases this year, state officials said.
The recent announcement of Pennsylvania’s first measles-related deaths in decades has ignited a public feud among politicians and health officials who disagree over the role of the contagious disease in the fatalities. Independent experts say the conflict is a symptom of a social and political debate over how to frame a national surge in measles cases, the worst seen in more than three decades. Pennsylvania officials this week reported that two unvaccinated residents died after being infected with measles.
