Two unvaccinated people die of measles in Pennsylvania

Two people who were not vaccinated against measles have died of the virus in Pennsylvania, health officials said.

The state has seen 393 cases of the highly contagious virus this year, as infections across the US have hit the highest point in 35 years.

Eighty-five percent of kindergarten-age students in Lancaster County, where the recent deaths occurred, are vaccinated against measles - well below the 95% rate needed for herd immunity to limit the spread and protect immunocompromised people.

Last year, two unvaccinated children in Texas died from a measles outbreak that infected over 1,000 people, primarily children.

"This is a serious and a growing problem across our country and in our commonwealth," Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said in a news conference on Tuesday. "This illness and death from measles is completely preventable."

He added that the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine was the best tool to protect against illness and death.

Officials said they would not share any additional information on the identities of those who died, including if they were children, who have face a higher risk of death and complications from measles.

The US has seen 2,777 confirmed cases of measles in 2026, just seven months into the year, up from last year's high of 2,289.