Third Pennsylvania measles death reported as outbreak widens, CDC adds disclaimer amid political dispute

A 40-year‑year‑old woman in Jefferson County died from complications linked to measles, according to the county coroner. Pennsylvania has logged 676 measles cases across 37 counties, resulting in 124 hospital admissions and four infections among vaccinated individuals. Earlier this year, two infant deaths in Lancaster County were reported as measles‑related—one infant with Amish lethal microcephaly and another newborn with a ruptured spleen—while the CDC placed a disclaimer and an asterisk on its measles mortality page as it continues to assess those cases. Governor Josh Shapiro has emphasized the need for vaccination, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has suggested alternative explanations and noted that the decline in vaccination rates began before his service, intensifying a public clash.