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Pennsylvania reports two measles deaths

August 25, 2026

The Pennsylvania Department of Health says two unvaccinated people in Lancaster County died of measles, the state's first measles deaths in 35 years.

ABC News puts the toll at two and reports that neither person had received the vaccine. CNN dates the announcement to Tuesday and credits it to the state Department of Health, then sets the two deaths against a long quiet stretch: none from measles anywhere in the country so far in 2026, and none in the Commonwealth for 35 years. NBC News situates both people in Lancaster County, where most of the state's infections have gathered. Bloomberg's coverage rests on the same two elements, a pair of deaths and an absent vaccination.

NBC News widens the frame with national counts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 2,777 cases logged across the country this year, a level no year in 35 has reached by the agency's reckoning, and 193 patients admitted to hospital as of Aug. 20, about 7% of cases. ABC News cites the agency on how much protection the shot confers, 93% after a single dose and 97% after two, and CNN carries the same pair of figures. CNN also relays what state officials say about how the virus moves: breathing, coughing and sneezing all release it, and it stays capable of infecting for up to two hours in a room an infected person has already left. Pneumonia and swelling of the brain sit among the graver outcomes it can cause.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen said in a statement, "My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss," a line both CNN and ABC News carry. NBC News quotes her further argument that three decades and more without much measles in the Commonwealth have left residents unacquainted with how dangerous it can turn. CNN reports the state's advice on timing, an early or catch-up MMR dose for anyone from 6 months of age upward who lacks full cover. Four outlets agree on the count, the county, the vaccination status and the 35-year gap. What none of them supplies is any detail about who the two people were.

Still developing

The identities, ages and medical histories of the two people stay undisclosed, and Pennsylvania health officials say they are releasing no further details about them. The current size of the Lancaster County outbreak, as distinct from the national case count, goes unstated across the accounts.

How settled the reporting is

Reported 100% · Contested 0% · Developing 0%

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