Pennsylvania measles cases rise to 1,004 as outbreak spreads

Oct 5 — Pennsylvania's health department reported 1,004 measles cases ​as of Monday, as the state grapples with a fast-growing outbreak.

Five Pennsylvania residents have ‌died after contracting the highly contagious disease, as cases in ⁠the US reach ​their highest level in ⁠more than three decades.

• The Pennsylvania measles ‌cases include 198 ‌hospitalizations, according to the health department's website

• ⁠Lancaster county remains ⁠the hardest-hit area in the state with 391 cases

• All five people who have died from the disease in Pennsylvania this year were unvaccinated

• The US Centers for Disease ‌Control and Prevention has ​confirmed only two measles-related deaths in the country this year, without naming the states

• The CDC has recorded 3,887 measles cases in 2026 so far — the most since the major resurgence between 1989 and 1991, when ​55,000 infections and 123 deaths were recorded

• The ‌CDC has ‌said ⁠it was working with state epidemiologists on a standard definition for measles-related deaths

• Measles is a highly contagious viral disease but preventable with ‌the measles, mumps and ​rubella vaccine, which is ‌97% effective after ⁠two ​doses

(Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi ​Majumdar)

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