Pennsylvania Measles Outbreak: Sixth Death Confirmed, 1,467 Cases and What to Know

Pennsylvania's measles outbreak has now claimed a sixth life.

The state Department of Health confirmed on Wednesday that an unvaccinated resident of Jefferson County who tested positive for measles has died. The department did not release the person's age or cause of death. A funeral director told The Washington Post that the person was a 21-year-old woman who died of complications after childbirth. Some reports said she had given birth at home. The state's own statement did not include those details.

A second death in one county

It is the second measles-associated death in Jefferson County. In September, the county coroner, Greg Furlong, said a 40-year-old unvaccinated woman died of respiratory failure and measles. He said she also had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other serious health problems that made her especially vulnerable.

According to the health department, the six deaths this year involve three residents of Lancaster County, two of Jefferson County and one of Mifflin County. They include a 20-year-old woman with leukemia whose death was reported in early October, and an 18-year-old from Mifflin County who died of a rare and severe neurological complication of measles, NBC News reported.

The scale of the outbreak

As of November 4, Pennsylvania had recorded 1,467 confirmed measles cases and 283 hospitalizations. The cases have spread to 45 counties, with 34 new cases confirmed since November 2. Five cases were among vaccinated people, less than 1% of the total. It is the largest measles outbreak in the country and the state's largest in three decades.

Federal officials have stepped in. Reuters reported that the CDC has provided nearly $4 million in one-time emergency funding to support Pennsylvania's response through most of 2027.

The problem is much bigger than one state. The CDC had counted 4,852 confirmed measles cases nationwide as of October 29, the most since 1991 according to ABC News. At least 96% of cases this year were in people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown. Days before the Pennsylvania announcement, New York reported its first measles-associated death in more than 30 years, a child in Lewis County.

Deaths that are still being sorted out

Not every death linked to the outbreak is counted the same way. The state counts a death as measles-associated if it occurred within 30 days of symptom onset, there is clinical evidence of measles and there is a positive lab test.

In October, the Franklin County coroner said a 39-year-old unvaccinated woman died of a probable acute cardiac event due to possible complications of measles. The health department said that as of November 4, its investigation had not found a Franklin County case that met its criteria, so it is not part of the official count. In Lancaster County, a local coroner has challenged the state's interpretation of one infant's death, saying the baby died of a lacerated spleen and not the virus, although prominent physicians have questioned that conclusion.

What to know about measles

Measles spreads easily through the air, and the CDC says about 90% of unvaccinated people who are exposed will probably get it.

• Symptoms: They usually appear 7 to 14 days after infection and begin with a high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. Tiny white spots can appear inside the mouth two to three days later, and a rash typically starts three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning at the hairline and spreading down the body.
• When it spreads: People can be infectious from four days before the rash appears through four days after.
• Vaccination: The CDC recommends two doses of the MMR vaccine, at 12 to 15 months and again at 4 to 6 years. One dose is about 93% effective and two doses about 97% effective. Infants 6 to 11 months who live in or travel to outbreak areas may receive an early extra dose.
• Pregnancy: Women are advised not to receive live-virus vaccines such as MMR during pregnancy, so anyone who is pregnant or planning a pregnancy should talk to a health care provider about their immunity.

Anyone who has symptoms or thinks they were exposed should contact a health care provider. This article is for information only and is not medical advice.

Sources: Pennsylvania Department of Health, Reuters, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, NBC News, NBC Philadelphia, ABC News and Good Morning America reports and CDC guidance, November 4, 2026. Figures can change as the outbreak continues.