HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania has recorded a fifth measles-associated death in 2026 as the state's major outbreak continues to spread, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Wednesday.
The person who died was an unvaccinated Lancaster County resident with a confirmed case of measles.
State health officials have not released the person's age, sex or other identifying information, citing privacy protections for the individual and the family.
The death is the third measles-associated death reported in Lancaster County during the current outbreak.
Pennsylvania has now recorded 943 confirmed measles cases across 39 counties in 2026, according to state health data.
That is an increase of 40 cases since Monday, when the state reported 903 infections.
The Department of Health also reports 176 hospitalizations associated with the outbreak.
Only four of Pennsylvania's confirmed cases have occurred among people considered appropriately vaccinated for their age, representing less than 1% of the statewide total.
Pennsylvania remains the state hardest hit by the national measles resurgence, Reuters reported Wednesday.
State accounts for more than one-quarter of U.S. cases
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 3,659 confirmed measles cases nationwide as of Sept. 24.
Pennsylvania's 943 reported cases would represent more than one-quarter of that national total, although the state and federal figures reflect different reporting dates.
The Pennsylvania outbreak began earlier this year and accelerated significantly through the summer and early fall.
The Department of Health reported 460 cases across 31 counties on Aug. 28.
By Sept. 11, the total had climbed to 676 cases in 37 counties.
It reached 767 cases across 38 counties by Sept. 18 and 890 cases across 39 counties by Sept. 25.
Wednesday's total of 943 represents more than a doubling of the statewide case count in just over one month.
Lancaster County has been one of the principal centers of transmission throughout the outbreak.
The state's first identified measles cases of 2026 were reported there in January, and Lancaster County later became a major center of the broader statewide outbreak.
Five measles-associated deaths
Pennsylvania reported its first two measles-associated deaths in August.
Both involved infants in Lancaster County.
Two additional deaths were confirmed in September.
Those involved an unvaccinated 18-year-old resident of Mifflin County and an unvaccinated 40-year-old woman in Jefferson County.
Wednesday's newly announced Lancaster County death raises the state's total to five.
All five people counted by Pennsylvania under its measles-associated mortality definition were unvaccinated, according to state reporting.
The state uses the term 'measles-associated death' rather than simply attributing every death directly to measles.
How Pennsylvania defines a measles-associated death
The Pennsylvania Department of Health published a formal surveillance definition for measles-associated mortality in September.
Under that definition, a confirmed case can include a death occurring within 30 days of clinically relevant measles symptoms when laboratory, clinical or epidemiological evidence supports measles infection and officials determine the death was not caused by an unrelated event.
The definition can also include cases in which a death certificate identifies measles as an underlying cause or a significant contributing condition when the required laboratory and epidemiological criteria are met.
State officials say the framework incorporates clinical evidence, laboratory testing, exposure history and vital-record information.
The Department of Health describes the definition as a surveillance tool intended to allow public health authorities to classify deaths consistently.
State and federal death totals differ
Pennsylvania's death count currently differs from the number reflected in federal measles surveillance.
Reuters reported that the CDC had confirmed two measles-related deaths nationally as of Tuesday, while Pennsylvania had already counted four measles-associated deaths before Wednesday's announcement.
The federal agency recently changed the way it compiles its national measles mortality total, relying on mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics rather than directly adopting state health department counts.
That difference in methodology has created a public disagreement over how quickly Pennsylvania's deaths should appear in the national total.
The CDC has said its death count can change as additional records and reviews become available.
Pennsylvania said it has reported its fifth measles-associated death to the CDC.
The difference between the two systems does not mean Pennsylvania has withdrawn or reversed its findings.
It reflects different surveillance and reporting processes being used by state and federal health authorities.
Nearly one in five Pennsylvania patients hospitalized
Pennsylvania reported 176 hospitalizations among its 943 confirmed cases as of Wednesday.
That means roughly 19% of identified cases have required hospitalization.
The Department of Health says measles can cause serious complications including pneumonia and swelling of the brain.
State officials estimate death occurs in approximately one to three people for every 1,000 measles infections.
Young children, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems can face an increased risk of serious complications.
Measles is also one of the world's most contagious infectious diseases.
The virus spreads through respiratory droplets and airborne particles when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes.
The virus can remain infectious in the air and on surfaces for as long as two hours after an infected person has left an area.
Symptoms typically begin seven to 21 days after exposure.
Early symptoms commonly include fever, cough, runny nose and red or watery eyes.
A characteristic rash generally develops several days later, beginning around the head and moving downward across the body.
Vaccination remains primary prevention
The Pennsylvania Department of Health continues to recommend vaccination with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine as the primary way to prevent infection.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine are approximately 97% effective at preventing measles, according to both state and federal health authorities.
Pennsylvania's outbreak data show four appropriately vaccinated people among hundreds of confirmed infections.
The state reported Sept. 25 that it had administered more than 5,300 MMR vaccinations through 165 pop-up clinics in communities affected by the outbreak.
State health centers had administered more than 7,900 MMR doses across Pennsylvania during 2026 as of that update.
Health care providers have also reported increased demand for vaccination.
The Department of Health said Pennsylvania providers typically administer about 25,000 MMR doses during an average month.
More than 49,000 doses were administered statewide in August, and more than 38,000 were given during the first three weeks of September.
What people exposed to measles should do
Pennsylvania health officials are urging people who believe they have been exposed to measles and develop symptoms to contact a medical provider before arriving at a doctor's office, clinic or emergency department.
Calling ahead allows health care facilities to isolate a potentially infectious patient and reduce exposure to other patients and staff.
Health care providers are also required to promptly report suspected measles cases to public health authorities rather than waiting for laboratory confirmation.
Pennsylvania residents can contact the Department of Health at 877-PA-HEALTH for information about suspected exposure, symptoms and vaccination.
Outbreak continues to grow
Wednesday's fifth death comes as Pennsylvania continues adding dozens of cases within periods of only a few days.
The statewide count increased from 890 cases Friday to 903 cases Monday and then to 943 cases Wednesday.
Thirty-nine counties have now reported confirmed infections.
The Department of Health continues to update its measles dashboard with information about confirmed cases, hospitalizations, deaths and vaccination efforts.
The identity and additional medical information involving the latest Lancaster County resident will not be publicly released by the Department of Health.
With 943 cases, 176 hospitalizations and five state-confirmed measles-associated deaths, health officials continue to characterize vaccination and rapid identification of new infections as central to controlling Pennsylvania's ongoing outbreak.