Pennsylvania says an unvaccinated woman has died from measles-related complications

Electron microscope image of a measles virus particle. (Cynthia Goldsmith/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, via AP, File) Cynthia Goldsmith/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP /Centers for Disease Control and hide caption

An official in Pennsylvania has confirmed the measles-related death of a 40-year-old woman. Jefferson County Coroner Greg Furlong told NPR that the woman, who died on Saturday, was unvaccinated.

"This is a heartbreaking loss for the family and an unfortunate reminder that measles can be a serious and potentially life-threatening disease," a statement from the coroner's office said.

Officials have not released the woman's identity, but said she was a resident of Jefferson County. This is the third death that Pennsylvania state officials have linked to measles this year. No other states have announced measles deaths in 2026.

On Friday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 676 measles cases so far this year. It also reported 52 new positive cases from Wednesday to Friday.

Pennsylvania officials and the federal government have clashed over the number of measles-associated deaths in the state in recent weeks, as the U.S. faces a nationwide resurgence of the illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared that the highly contagious virus had been eradicated from the U.S. in 2000.

Last week, the CDC reported more than 3,200 confirmed measles cases in the country.

The agency said it was reviewing whether to count two measles-related deaths involving infants in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. After Gov. Josh Shapiro announced the state's first two deaths, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said on X the announcement appeared to have been "premature" and "may even have been altogether fabricated by one of the Governor's hopeful staffers."