Pennsylvania confirmed its sixth measles-associated death of 2026 on November 4, as the US state's outbreak reached 1,467 cases in 45 counties. The health department said the latest person to die was an unvaccinated Jefferson County resident who tested positive for measles. Reuters and ABC News also reported the announcement.
The state's update recorded 34 additional infections since November 2 and 283 hospitalizations in total. Officials said only five confirmed cases involved vaccinated people, fewer than 1% of the total. The department withheld identifying details about the latest death to protect the person and their family's privacy.
The six confirmed deaths involved three Lancaster County residents, two from Jefferson County and one from Mifflin County. Officials said a separate death reported in Franklin County in October had not met the state's confirmation criteria as of November 4. That case is therefore not included in the official total.
According to Reuters, federal health authorities said the CDC had sent additional support to assist state and local outbreak investigations. The US health department also said nearly $4 million in emergency funding would support Pennsylvania's response through most of 2027. The state reported that providers administered more than 61,000 MMR vaccinations in October, over twice a typical month's number.
The latest announcement follows New York's report of a measles-associated child death, ABC News said. Reuters cited CDC figures showing 4,852 confirmed US cases through October 29. Federal and state death tallies differ: the CDC lists three deaths nationally and now uses National Center for Health Statistics mortality data instead of relying on state health department counts, Reuters reported.
Attention now turns to an expected review next week by the Pan American Health Organization's expert commission of whether the United States retains measles elimination status, according to Reuters. The country has held that status since 2000. Pennsylvania officials said they continue working with coroners to improve communication and refine death reporting during the outbreak.
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