Overview
- State health officials confirmed Tuesday that two unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County died of measles, the first U.S. measles deaths reported in 2026 and the first in Pennsylvania in 35 years.
- Pennsylvania has recorded about 393 cases this year across 28 counties with roughly 185 cases in Lancaster County, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports about 2,777 cases nationwide.
- Measles is highly contagious and two doses of the combined MMR vaccine are about 97 percent effective at preventing infection.
- Public-health leaders point to falling kindergarten vaccination rates and rising exemption levels as the main drivers of pockets of low immunity that allow outbreaks to spread in communities such as Lancaster’s large Amish population.
- Officials are urging immediate MMR vaccination and note an international review of U.S. elimination status is planned for November, a step that could reassess whether measles transmission is again sustained in the country.