U.S. sees highest measles death toll in decades amid Pennsylvania outbreak
Pennsylvania reported two more measles deaths, raising the U.S. total to four this year—the most since 1992.
Pennsylvania announced two new measles-related deaths—a 40-year-old woman and an 18-year-old—bringing the United States total to four this year, the most deaths from the disease since 1992. The outbreak has spread to 38 counties with 693 confirmed cases. Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. disputed the attribution of measles to the first two fatalities and noted that the CDC will only list measles as the underlying cause after the National Center for Health Statistics processes state death records.
As of now, the CDC has not formally logged any measles deaths for 2026. The surge follows a year in which U.S. measles cases already exceed the entire count from the previous year. Experts continue to warn that low vaccination rates may be fueling the rise.
Why it matters
Rising measles deaths highlight gaps in vaccination and public-health reporting, posing a broader health risk.
How this story developed
- Aug 25 Two Unvaccinated Pennsylvanians Die from Measles, First Fatalities in 2026
- Aug 25 Senators Angela Alsobrooks and Raphael Warnock publicly called for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign.
- Aug 27 Letters reveal Robert F Kennedy Jr said his 2019 Samoa visit was to study the MMR vaccine, contradicting his Senate testimony that it had nothing to do with vaccines.
- Aug 27 Lancaster County coroner said the infant’s death was classified as measles‑associated rather than a direct measles death.
- Aug 28 Senator Ron Wyden publicly called for a DOJ criminal investigation of Secretary Kennedy, and Kennedy’s remarks on Pennsylvania measles deaths were criticized by Governor Josh Shapiro.
- Aug 29 Case count rose to 460 with infections in 31 counties.
- Aug 31 The CDC publicly questioned the state's reporting of the deaths on social media.
- Sep 1 New reporting highlights that measles can cause immune amnesia, potentially obscuring additional deaths beyond those directly attributed to the disease.
- Sep 1 CDC removed the two Pennsylvania deaths from its national measles mortality count pending further review.
- Sep 14 The CDC added a disclaimer and an asterisk to its measles death page while independently reviewing the two infant cases.
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