Pennsylvania Confirms 393 Measles Cases as Governor Shapiro Mourns Two Deaths: Both Unvaccinated

Pennsylvania has confirmed 393 measles cases across 28 counties in 2026, and two unvaccinated Lancaster County residents have now died from the disease, Governor Josh Shapiro and state health officials said on Tuesday.

The deaths are the first measles‑related fatalities in the Commonwealth in 35 years, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The announcement came during a Harrisburg press briefing, where Shapiro appeared alongside Secretary of Health Dr Debra Bogen to outline the state's response to an outbreak that has spread steadily since April.

Officials confirmed the deaths but did not disclose when they occurred, citing privacy protections for the families involved.

Pennsylvania Outbreak Traced to Lancaster County

Lancaster County has borne the brunt of the outbreak, accounting for roughly half of the state's confirmed cases since the cluster was identified in late April.

The Department of Health said it would release no further details about the two who died, citing residents' privacy. What is confirmed is that neither had received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

Dr Bogen described the deaths in the context of a disease many Pennsylvanians have not seen for decades.

'Because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, people are not familiar with this disease and don't fully understand the potential severity of the illness,' she said.

She added a personal appeal grounded in her own training.

'As a physician, I want to make sure that people understand that the MMR vaccine is safe and provides the best protection we have against measles.'

The outbreak began with 32 cases by May before accelerating through summer.

By late June, Bogen was already warning from Lancaster that the state was 'not just sitting back and watching this virus spread.' The count has since climbed more than tenfold, reaching 393 by Tuesday.

National Measles Surge Piles on Pressure

Nationally, the picture is starker. Measles cases in the United States passed 2,777 by late July, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the highest annual total since 1991.

Last year's tally of 2,289 had already been called the worst in three decades; this year surpassed it before summer had properly begun. The CDC recommends two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first between 12 and 15 months and the second between four and six years, noting one dose is 93 per cent effective while two raise protection to 97 per cent.

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr contacted Shapiro on Tuesday to offer federal assistance, an offer the governor declined, saying Pennsylvania could manage the response alone. Shapiro used the briefing to address misinformation circulating around the outbreak.

'Folks are spreading skepticism about things like the MMR vaccine without any evidence to back up their claims. That scares a parent who's just trying to do the right thing by their kids and place a role in why so many people right now are getting measles for the first time in decades,' he said.

'We're seeing that this misinformation is taking a real toll on a parent's job to protect their kids.'

The Race To Vaccinate Before Autumn Arrives

Officials say the overall risk to the public remains low provided vaccination rates hold, though they have not said when the outbreak might be considered contained.

Roughly one to three deaths per 1,000 measles cases are typical during outbreaks of this scale, state health officials said, a ratio that puts Tuesday's toll within an expected range.

For families in Lancaster County, the focus now is whether clinics can reach enough unvaccinated residents before numbers climb further into autumn.