Two people in Pennsylvania have died of measles. The state's health department confirmed the news on Aug. 25.
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What Do We Know About the Measles Patients' Vaccination Status?
As reported by NBC News, neither person was vaccinated. It is the first such death in the United States this year and the first in Pennsylvania in 35 years.
There have been 393 confirmed measles cases in the state this year, with 86 diagnosed in the last week. Most cases are centered in Lancaster County, where the two people resided. At this time, 70 people in the state have been hospitalized due to complications from the disease.
"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," said Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen in a statement. "As a physician, I want to make sure that people understand that the MMR vaccine is safe and provides the best protection we have against measles."
Fewer People Are Getting Vaccinated
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to decrease the number of vaccinations for children. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy supported the measure. The move caused an outcry from both pediatricians and public health experts.
The order comes at a moment when more parents are not getting their children vaccinated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during the 2025-26 school year, 4.2% of kindergartners had at least one vaccine exemption. That's an increase of 0.6 from the previous year.
Three people died of measles last year, and nearly 3,000 measles cases have been reported this year. This is also the highest number in 35 years in the United States. Seven percent of the cases have been hospitalized as of Aug. 20. A majority of those infected are unvaccinated.
Earlier this month, we reported that visitors to Universal Studios Hollywood were advised to get checked for the disease after a guest infected with it spent 11 hours at the theme park.
The two-dose measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine offers 97% protection against the disease. It is typically given to those around age 1 and age 5.
