First U.S. measles deaths this year — two unvaccinated people die in Pennsylvania
Health officials said both victims were Lancaster County residents; the U.S. has recorded more than 2,700 measles cases this year.
Two unvaccinated people have died of measles-related complications in Pennsylvania, U.S. health officials said, marking the first reported measles deaths in the United States this year and the first in Pennsylvania in 35 years.
Both decedents were residents of Lancaster County, which has seen the largest concentration of cases in the current outbreak. State reports show 393 confirmed measles cases in Pennsylvania across 28 counties, and roughly 20 percent of those infected were hospitalized.
Nationally, the United States has recorded more than 2,700 measles cases so far this year, continuing a resurgence of a disease that was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000.
Vaccination, effectiveness and public debate
Officials reiterate that the MMR vaccine is the most effective protection against measles; two doses provide about 97 percent protection. Among the confirmed Pennsylvania cases, no one had received the two recommended MMR doses.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order criticizing the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and called for it to be replaced by three separate vaccines, repeating claims about risks associated with the combined shot despite decades of scientific evidence of its safety and effectiveness. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long asserted links between the MMR and autism; scientific studies do not confirm such a connection. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said comments and policies from the Trump administration have contributed to vaccine distrust.
Public-health experts warn that political rhetoric and misinformation could further erode confidence in vaccination at a moment when the country is facing renewed spread of the disease.
Photo: EPA/ANNIE RICE
