Pennsylvania Measles Hits 890 Cases as Outbreak Accelerates

Pennsylvania reported 55 new measles cases in two days, bringing the state to 890 cases across 39 counties, with 173 hospitalizations and four deaths.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced on Friday that 55 new measles cases had been reported since Wednesday, pushing the state's 2026 total to 890 confirmed cases spread across 39 counties. The outbreak, which began in late April, has now put 173 people in the hospital and caused four measles-associated deaths. Fewer than 1% of reported cases have occurred in vaccinated individuals, and 31% of cases are among people younger than 18, according to state data. Lancaster County leads the state with 359 cases, and Medical Daily reports Mifflin County follows with 102.

Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, yet Pennsylvania's outbreak has now burned for roughly five months and shows no sign of slowing — the case count jumped from 835 on Sept. 23 to 890 by Sept. 25, per Medical Daily. The near-total concentration of infections among unvaccinated people underscores how quickly the virus exploits gaps in coverage. Nationally, the CDC counted 3,659 confirmed cases as of Sept. 24, already well above the 2,289 cases reported in all of 2025, with cases reported by 47 jurisdictions.

The outbreak has collided with national politics. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, wrote on social media that Pennsylvania's measles-related deaths 'may even have been altogether fabricated' for political reasons. In August, Medical Daily and The Guardian both report, the new CDC director ordered agency staff not to include two Pennsylvania measles-associated deaths in the national tally while the agency reviewed additional information. The CDC currently lists one measles death for 2026, a figure it says may change.

Since the outbreak began in late April, state health officials have administered more than 5,300 MMR vaccinations at 165 pop-up clinics in affected communities, and state health center staff have given more than 7,900 doses across Pennsylvania this year, according to the Department of Health. Medical Daily reports demand has surged well beyond normal levels: more than 49,000 MMR doses were given in August and more than 38,000 in the first three weeks of September, versus a typical month of about 25,000. Dozens of additional clinics are scheduled in coming weeks.

The Pan American Health Organization's Regional Verification Commission will review the United States' measles elimination status at its November 2026 meeting, and Medical Daily reports that 1,384 of this year's 3,659 cases came from outbreaks that began in 2025 — chains of spread that have lasted well beyond a single season. A country loses elimination status when the same measles virus spreads continuously for at least 12 months. Canada lost its status in November 2025. Falling kindergarten MMR coverage — from 95.2% in 2019-20 to 92.4% in 2025-26, per the CDC as cited by Medical Daily — leaves about 280,000 kindergartners at risk.

State officials say the best protection remains full vaccination — two MMR doses provide 97% lifetime protection, and one dose 93%, per the CDC. Pennsylvania residents with two documented doses need no booster; adults with only one dose or missing records should ask a provider or pharmacist. Measles symptoms begin 7 to 14 days after exposure with high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash spreading down the body, and the virus can live in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves. Anyone suspecting measles should call a clinic before arriving; Pennsylvania residents can call 877-PA-HEALTH.