Pennsylvania health officials have announced a fourth death from measles-associated illness, making this the worst year for the disease in the state since 1992. All four US deaths linked to measles have occurred in Pennsylvania.
Dr Debra Bogen, Pennsylvania’s secretary of health, stated that her thoughts are with the families who lost loved ones, noting that the state faces its worst measles outbreak in over three decades. Pennsylvania has reported nearly 700 cases of measles.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is not counting these deaths in its national tally, a change attributed to the Trump administration's reporting methods. Globally, measles remains a leading cause of vaccine-preventable infant death.
The latest measles-associated death was an 18-year-old Mifflin county resident diagnosed with encephalomyelitis, a severe neurological complication. The state's outbreak has been concentrated in agricultural areas of Lancaster and Mifflin counties. The US has recorded more than 3,300 cases in 2026, though epidemiological data is generally considered an undercount.