First U.S. Measles Deaths in 2026

Two unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania have died of measles, the first measles deaths in the state in 35 years and the first reported anywhere in the United States this year.

Quick Take

Pennsylvania health officials confirmed two measles-associated deaths on August 25, 2026, both in unvaccinated Lancaster County residents.
These are the first measles deaths in Pennsylvania since 1991 and the first in the United States this year.
The deaths come amid a growing statewide outbreak that has already topped 100 confirmed cases.
Measles killed hundreds of Americans every year before the vaccine arrived in 1963, but deaths had become rare until recent outbreaks tied to falling vaccination rates.

What Pennsylvania’s Health Department Confirmed

The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced the deaths in a Tuesday newsroom release, stating plainly that both people who died had not been vaccinated against measles. The department called the deaths the first measles-related fatalities in the commonwealth in 35 years. That timeline matches national reporting, which places the last U.S. measles death before this year in 2025, when three people died, including two children.

Both victims lived in Lancaster County, a densely populated area in southeastern Pennsylvania that has become the center of the state’s outbreak. Health officials have not released additional personal details about the deceased. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s own national tracker had shown zero measles deaths recorded for 2026 before Pennsylvania’s announcement, meaning these two cases now stand as the year’s first.

Governor Josh Shapiro addressed the deaths directly at a press briefing, calling the situation a serious and growing problem for the state and the country. His comments echoed a broader concern among public health leaders that a preventable childhood illness is once again claiming lives in communities with low vaccination coverage.

An Outbreak That Kept Growing Through the Summer

Pennsylvania’s outbreak did not appear overnight. State officials confirmed 139 measles cases and reported 29 new infections in just one recent week, according to outbreak tracking data. Earlier state figures showed the outbreak had already reached 84 confirmed cases statewide, with 72 of those linked to a cluster that began in the Lebanon and Lancaster county area back in late April.

Measles spreads through the air and ranks among the most contagious diseases known to medicine. A person can catch it simply by entering a room an infected individual left up to two hours earlier. Complications include pneumonia and encephalitis, a dangerous swelling of the brain, and public health officials in Pennsylvania have repeatedly stressed that both conditions can be deadly, especially in unvaccinated patients.

A Disease the Country Had Nearly Eliminated

The scale of the loss becomes clearer with historical context. Before the measles vaccine was licensed in 1963, the country averaged 549,000 reported cases and 495 deaths every single year. Vaccination campaigns drove that number down so sharply that the United States declared measles eliminated in 2000, meaning the virus no longer spread continuously on its own within the country.

That elimination status now faces real pressure. National surveillance found only three measles deaths total between 2001 and 2022, a 21-year stretch, underscoring just how rare fatalities had become. Yet vaccine hesitancy has widened gaps in community protection, and researchers tracking the current resurgence point to misinformation spreading through social media and other online platforms as a driving factor behind falling vaccination rates.

🗞 Pennsylvania reported its first two measles deaths of 2026 in Lancaster County, as the U.S. faces its largest outbreak in decades with 2,777 cases nationwide.

🔗 https://t.co/ZqKXYX00xP

📩 Subscribe: https://t.co/2ZeNJWagCf pic.twitter.com/ahBYRkhszr

— Atlas360 (@AtlasNewsen) August 26, 2026

Political Fallout and the Path Forward

The deaths have already drawn national political attention. Reporting indicates Shapiro held a call with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about the outbreak and described the exchange as blunt, reflecting tension between state and federal officials over how the crisis is being handled. That friction highlights a real disagreement over messaging and vaccine policy at a moment when clear public guidance matters most.

Pennsylvania’s health department continues urging residents to check their vaccination status and seek care quickly if they suspect exposure. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine remains roughly 97 percent effective after two doses, and public health officials view it as the single most reliable tool for stopping outbreaks like the one now moving through Lancaster County and beyond. The coming weeks will show whether case counts keep climbing or finally start to slow.