# Fifth measles death in Pennsylvania outbreak

> A fifth unvaccinated person has died of measles in Pennsylvania as the outbreak spreads across 39 counties, but the CDC is counting only two deaths.
- Title: Fifth measles death in Pennsylvania outbreak · Ars Technica
- Summary: A fifth unvaccinated person has died of measles in Pennsylvania as the outbreak spreads across 39 counties, but the CDC is counting only two deaths…
- Keywords: measles, pennsylvania, vaccination, outbreak, cdc, public health, robert f. kennedy jr., technology, science, Fifth, death, Ars Technica
- Source: Ars Technica — https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/09/fifth-unvaccinated-person-dies-of-measles-cdc-still-not-counting-all-deaths
- Published: 2026-09-30T21:37:54+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: measles, pennsylvania, vaccination, outbreak, cdc, public health, robert f. kennedy jr., technology, science
## Fifth death announced in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's health department announced Wednesday that a fifth unvaccinated person has died of measles. The deceased was a resident of Lancaster County, the epicenter of the outbreak that began in late April.
## Outbreak spreads across 39 counties
As of Wednesday, the outbreak has infected 943 people across 39 counties, with 119 cases reported in just the last seven days. At least 176 people have been hospitalized from measles.
## Lancaster County hit hardest
Lancaster County has reported 381 cases and three of the five deaths. Two earlier deaths were infants too young to be vaccinated: a newborn boy and a six-week-old baby girl. No details have been released about the county's third death.
## Two older unvaccinated victims
An unvaccinated eighteen-year-old from Mifflin County developed severe neurological complications. An unvaccinated forty-year-old woman had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other underlying health conditions that increased her risk of severe measles infection.
## First deaths in 35 years
These five deaths are Pennsylvania's first measles deaths in 35 years and the only measles deaths reported in the US this year. Last year saw three measles deaths in Texas and New Mexico, all connected to a West Texas outbreak. The US had no measles deaths from 2015 until 2025.
## CDC undercounting deaths amid pressure
The CDC has tallied at least 3,659 measles cases this year, the highest since 1991. But under influence from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the CDC altered criteria for counting measles deaths and is reporting only two deaths. Pennsylvania health officials are vaccinating residents, having administered more than 8,500 MMR doses this year.

> The best protection against measles remains getting fully vaccinated. The MMR vaccine, administered over two doses, boosts a person's immune system and provides 97 percent lifetime protection.
## Key takeaway

Pennsylvania has recorded five measles deaths this year, the first in the state in thirty-five years, as vaccination rates decline amid misinformation.