Pennsylvania has reported its fifth measles-associated death of 2026 amid an outbreak of 943 cases across 39 counties, the state's worst in 35 years. The surge contributes to a record-breaking 3,659 U.S. cases, sparking a dispute between Governor Josh Shapiro and federal Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the CDC's refusal to recognize all five deaths. The crisis comes as vaccination rates fall and international officials prepare to review the nation's measles-free status.
Pennsylvania measles outbreak statistics
- ▪On September 30, 2026, Pennsylvania health officials reported a fifth measles-associated death of an unvaccinated Lancaster County resident
- ▪Pennsylvania has recorded 943 measles cases across 39 counties in 2026, representing the highest total in the United States and the state's worst outbreak in over 35 years
- ▪Out of the 943 measles cases in Pennsylvania in 2026, at least 176 have resulted in hospitalizations, and all but four cases occurred in individuals who were not fully vaccinated
Measles death criteria
- ▪Pennsylvania defines a measles-associated death as a death occurring within 30 days of symptom onset in an individual with active measles and clinical or laboratory evidence, unless caused by an unrelated event
- ▪Pennsylvania health officials also consider an individual's exposure history and supporting medical records when determining whether a death is measles-associated
Dispute over measles death counts
- ▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shifted in September 2026 to using mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics for national measles death counts rather than relying on state health departments
- ▪A political dispute has emerged between Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the federal government's recognition of only two measles deaths nationwide
- ▪Pennsylvania's health department requested emergency assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Epi-Aid program in September 2026, conditioning the request on the federal agency publicly recognizing the state's death count
Trump administration vaccine policies
- ▪President Donald Trump criticized the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine in August 2026 and called for the combination shot to be split into three separate shots
- ▪Trump administration health officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have questioned the safety of established vaccines and defunded local efforts to improve vaccination rates
Declining trust and vaccination rates
- ▪A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in September 2026 found that Americans' trust in vaccines for childhood diseases, including measles, has declined in recent years
- ▪U.S. childhood vaccination rates have fallen in recent years below the 95% coverage threshold required to prevent measles outbreaks, driven by parental waivers, healthcare access issues, and disinformation
National measles surge
- ▪The United States has recorded eight measles-associated deaths over the last two years, exceeding the combined total of reported measles deaths in the country over the previous three decades
- ▪The United States has recorded 3,659 confirmed measles cases in 2026 as of September 24, 2026, marking the country's worst year for the disease since 1991
Measles-free status
- ▪International health officials are scheduled to meet in November 2026 to determine whether the United States and Mexico have lost their measles-free status, which was established in 2000
- ▪The United States originally eliminated the domestic spread of measles in 2000 by maintaining high vaccination rates
Debatable claims
- ▪Parental vaccine waivers are a justified exercise of personal liberty
- ▪The CDC should rely on state health departments to count measles deaths
- ▪Pennsylvania is justified in conditioning its CDC aid request on federal recognition of its death toll
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