Pennsylvania reports fifth measles-related death of the year amid outbreak
Pennsylvania reports fifth measles-related death of the year amid outbreak
Pennsylvania has reported its fifth measles-associated death of 2026 as the state’s ongoing outbreak climbs to 943 confirmed cases across 39 counties.
The Pennsylvania department of health said on Wednesday that an unvaccinated Lancaster county resident who tested positive for measles had died. Health officials did not release further information about the individual, citing privacy protections.
The death marks the fifth Pennsylvania resident to meet the state’s definition of a measles-associated death this year after a fourth death two weeks ago. Due to how the Trump administration has changed its method for reporting measles deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not counted the Pennsylvania measles deaths in its national tally.
As of Monday 28 September, Pennsylvania had recorded 40 new positive cases. The outbreak has now reached 39 counties, with 943 cumulative confirmed cases, 176 hospitalizations and five confirmed measles-associated deaths.
Only four of those confirmed cases have involved vaccinated individuals, representing less than 1% of the state’s total cases.
Health officials say daily totals can change, but monitoring the numbers gives residents and healthcare providers a clearer picture of community transmission across Pennsylvania and helps guide the state’s response.
Agricultural communities in Lancaster and Mifflin counties have remained at the center of Pennsylvania’s outbreak. Utah, Florida, Virginia and Texas have also reported dozens of cases, according to tracking from Johns Hopkins University.
Since the outbreak began in late April, staff at state health centers have administered more than 5,500 measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) vaccinations through 180 pop-up vaccination clinics in affected communities, according to a statement released on Wednesday.
Dozens of additional vaccination clinics are planned for the coming weeks and months, depending on community interest and need, the statement added.
More than 3,600 measles cases have been reported across the US in 2026, according to the CDC. The US eliminated measles in 2000, though it is unclear whether it can retain that status amid the recent outbreaks.
Measles is considered one of the most contagious diseases known to medicine. The MMR vaccine prevents 97% of measles cases.
Vaccination rates among kindergarten-aged children, which are considered an important indicator, have slowly declined as experts argue the Trump administration is promoting confusion and misinformation about vaccines among parents.
Earlier this month, Pennsylvania requested emergency assistance from the CDC in response to the measles outbreak, but warned that the request could be withdrawn unless the federal agency publicly recognized the measles-associated deaths reported by the state.
The dispute began after Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary and former head of an anti-vaccine advocacy group, publicly questioned whether the deaths linked to the measles outbreaks since he took office were caused by the virus or by another condition.
The identity and motive of the Omani copilot who stabbed his captain on a flight to Israel, causing the plane to plummet dangerously and forcing it to land in Saudi Arabia, remained unknown on Thursday as investigators raced to learn more. Israeli passengers on the FlyDubai flight carrying 174 people from the United Arab Emirates to the Israeli city of Tel Aviv have described how the bloodied Indian captain managed to open the cockpit door to let them in before they grappled with the copilot and stabilized a descent so sharp that the plane’s rudder was torn away. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the copilot was arrested.
The hikes are part of immigration policy changes introduced to manage Japan’s growing foreign population.
Domestic violence victim warns politicians need to stop release policy before a death happens.
(Refiles to include boyfriend’s name in paragraph 10) Sept 30 (Reuters) – Christa Pike, convicted of murdering a schoolmate three decades ago, survived Tennessee’s effort to execute her by means of lethal injection late on Wednesday, prison officials said, foiling the state’s first attempt to put a woman to death in two centuries. Pike’s condition following the ordeal was not immediately known, and it was not clear what legal avenues her lawyers or the state might pursue next after she was ta
A pilot who stabbed another pilot on an Israel-bound plane is under investigation in Saudi Arabia, Benjamin Netanyahu says.
Capt Smit Machchhar was attacked by another pilot onboard the Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv.
Kent Police is investigating after a report the dog was pulled from the lake on Sunday.
Iranian state media said the regime has received a full U.S. response to its proposal for a ceasefire and the phased reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Chivayo was known for his lavish lifestyle, close ties to African presidents and lucrative government contracts.
Rantzen, who fronted the BBC’s That’s Life for two decades, went on to found Childline, and in recent years had been a campaigner for assisted dying.
Land in Keighley is among several sites to be sold to raise money for Bradford Council.
OSLO, Oct 1 (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump will not win this year’s Nobel Peace Prize as he wages war with Iran, but his influence will still be felt by the awarding body that picks the
The Afghan Taliban says nine civilians have died while Pakistan says the strikes killed 22 militants.
Vaping is about to becoming more expensive due to a new tax on products.
Northern Ireland becomes the first part of the UK to introduce new rules for new drivers in a bid to reduce fatal road crashes involving young people.
France’s public debt has climbed to a record during the two terms of President Emmanuel Macron, unsettling investors and emerging as a defining issue ahead of next year’s presidential election. With France already gripped by deep social tensions, the candidates vying to succeed Macron are under pressure to explain how they would bring the debt under control. It now stands at 119% of gross domestic product, leaving the country’s strained public finances likely to dominate the campaign.
Her lawyer says she is being given “life-saving measures” in hospital after two syringes of pentobarbital.
JAKARTA, Oct 1 (Reuters) – An Indonesian police spokesperson said on Thursday that the captain of a ship that capsized in the Java Sea last month has been arrested and will face criminal charges for
Three victims of domestic abuse tell the BBC why they feel let down by the early prisoner release scheme.
Tennessee officials were unable to put Christa Gail Pike to death Wednesday for a 1995 murder after administering two doses of a lethal drug. A death penalty expert said it was an unprecedented failure, and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee halted executions for the rest of the year.
Powered by WPeMatico