Pennsylvania reports first 2 measles deaths in the US this year, both people unvaccinated

Audio By Carbonatix

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two unvaccinated Pennsylvania residents have died from measles, state health officials said Tuesday, the first measles-related deaths in the U.S. this year.

Officials did not reveal any details about the people who died, other than that they lived in Lancaster County, west of Philadelphia.

“My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss,” said state Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen. “Because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, people are not familiar with this disease and don’t fully understand the potential severity of the illness.”

The U.S. is enduring its worst year for measles since 1991. Earlier this summer, it surpassed 2025's record-breaking measles count, with 2,777 cases as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The nation had 2,289 cases in 2025, the worst year for measles in more than three decades. Three people died last year.

In November, international health officials will meet to determine if the U.S. and Mexico have lost their measles-free status. The U.S. eliminated local measles spread in 2000 by maintaining high vaccination rates, which have fallen in recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks.

Overall U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down last year and the share of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted last week.

Lancaster County is known as the heart of Pennsylvania's Amish community, a religious group that is sometimes reluctant to embrace modern medical interventions such as vaccines. About 88% of kindergartners in the county were up to date on their measles vaccines during the last school year, according to state data.

Pennsylvania has counted nearly 400 measles cases this year, state officials said.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.