Pennsylvania Reports First Measles Deaths in 35 Years Amid Vaccine Awareness Concerns
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Two unvaccinated individuals have died of measles in Pennsylvania, state health officials announced on Tuesday. The deaths are the first in the state in 35 years and have been announced just one day after Maryland declared a measles outbreak in three counties.
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BBC NewsPublished Two people who were not vaccinated against measles have died of the virus in Pennsylvania, health officials said.
NBC NewsTwo people have died of measles in Pennsylvania, the state’s health department confirmed Tuesday.
ABC NewsThe individuals were not vaccinated, health officials said. Two people have died in Pennsylvania from measles, the state health department said Tuesday. Both were unvaccinated.
PBS NewsHourNews Wrap: 2 unvaccinated people die from measles in Pennsylvania In our news wrap Tuesday, two unvaccinated people in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, have died from measles, the Trump administration is threatening to demolish the Kennedy Center if its plans to renovate the arts center are not allowed to proceed and a federal judge rejected a bid by Ghislaine Maxwell to throw out her 2021 conviction on sex-trafficking charges.
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The measles mumps rubella vaccine, given in two doses around age 1 and age 5, offer 97% protection against measles, usually for life.
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ABC NewsThe CDC currently recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective and two doses are 97% effective against measles, the CDC says.
The Guardian USMeasles is one of the most contagious diseases known to medicine, and is preventable with a highly effective vaccine.
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“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,” Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen wrote 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.”
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ABC News"My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss," Dr. Debra Bogen, the state's secretary of health, said in a statement. "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 Guardian US“My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss,” said the Pennsylvania secretary of health, Dr Debra Bogen, in a statement. “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.”
BBC News"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."
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Last year, two unvaccinated children in Texas died from a measles outbreak that infected over 1,000 people, primarily children.
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NBC NewsThree people died of measles last year, an adult in New Mexico, and two young girls in Texas.
5 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 Washington Examiner Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., criticized Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) for accusing him of spreading conspiracy theories about vaccines. Shapiro’s comments came as the governor announced on Tuesday that two people in Pennsylvania died from measles. Both were unvaccinated, Shapiro said. He accused Kennedy and the Trump administration of “scaring people” into not believing doctors and medical information about vaccines. Kennedy objected to the criticism and said that Shapiro was gaslighting the public. Kennedy posted on X the details of the phone conversation he said he had with Shapiro.
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02 The Guardian US Measles kills one to three people for every 1,000 it infects, and can lead to short- and long-term health problems, including pneumonia and brain swelling. Up to 20% of infected people will be hospitalized.
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03 NBC News So far 70 people in the state have been hospitalized for measles complications. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2,777 measles cases have been reported nationwide this year, the highest number in 35 years in the U.S. The majority of infected people are unvaccinated, according to the CDC.
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04 The Atlantic Earlier this month, President Trump signed yet another executive order insisting that the United States shrink its schedule of recommended vaccines—federal guidance that currently guards Americans against 17 diseases with safe, effective shots. He also demanded that the U.S. split the MMR vaccine into three separate courses for measles, mumps, and rubella, without citing solid scientific evidence or acknowledging the infeasibility of such a system. (Scholars have already questioned whether the order has legal power.) Days later, the CDC released new data showing that, under Trump, the nationwide vaccine-exemption rate among kindergartners has reached a record high.
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05 BBC News She added that the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine provides the best protection against illness and death. The health department did not share any additional information on the identities of those who died.
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