Fifth measles death reported in Pennsylvania as Bangladesh outbreak grows

On Sep 30, 2026, Pennsylvania reported a fifth measles-associated death to the CDC: an unvaccinated Lancaster County resident. The state has 943 confirmed cases across 39 counties, 119 in the last seven days, and 176 hospitalizations. Lancaster County has 381 cases and three of the five deaths. Earlier deaths were a newborn boy and a 6-week-old girl too young to vaccinate, an unvaccinated 18-year-old with a neurological complication, and an unvaccinated 40-year-old woman with COPD. Before 2026 the state had not reported a measles death in 35 years. These five are the only U.S. measles deaths reported this year. Officials withheld identifying details, citing privacy laws and the family's need to mourn. Nurses administered MMR at pop-up clinics. "The best protection against measles remains getting fully vaccinated," the health department said, and two-dose MMR "provides 97 percent lifetime protection." Pennsylvania reports five deaths; the CDC, after altering death-counting criteria, counts two, and which two is not specified in the CDC's report. The CDC tallies at least 3,659 U.S. cases this year, highest since 1991. DGHS classified nine fatalities as suspected measles deaths in its 24-hour report.