Pennsylvania’s health department said on Friday the confirmed number of cases linked to a measles outbreak has reached 460 this year, an increase of 36 over its update two days ago.
Two Pennsylvania residents have died after contracting the highly contagious disease – the first such deaths reported in the United States in 2026 – as cases reach their highest level in more than three decades.
The measles cases, spread across 31 counties, include 83 hospitalizations, the department said.
The southeastern Lancaster county is the worst-affected, with 210 cases. None of the infections were in fully vaccinated people.
Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the Pennsylvania Governor’s office has not provided relevant information and has declined offers of assistance.
The governor declined assistance from U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., citing concerns that his actions were hurting communities.
Kennedy has argued for decades that the MMR shot and other vaccines are linked to an increased risk of autism – a theory that scientists say has been thoroughly refuted by studies examining millions of children over years.
“The MMR vaccine provides the most effective protection against measles and helps prevent its spread,” said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Emily Hilliard.
The CDC has recorded over 2,700 measles cases in 2026 – the most since the major resurgence between 1989 and 1991, when 55,000 infections and 123 deaths were recorded.
