Disease outbreak in Pennsylvania claims sixth life as cases pass 1,100
Key takeaways
- A coroner announced a sixth measles-linked death in Pennsylvania.
- The state had 1,136 measles cases as of October 9.
- The CDC will send more help as counts differ.
A coroner in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, announced a sixth measles-linked death. The state had 1,136 measles cases as of October 9, according to Reuters. The CDC said it would send more help to the state.
Measles is a sickness caused by a virus. It can pass fast from one person to the next. An outbreak means a large group of cases in one place.
A vaccine is a shot that helps the body fight a germ. The MMR shot guards against measles, mumps, and rubella. This article explains what happened, why it matters, and what comes next.
What happened
The Franklin County Coroner announced the sixth death on October 12. The woman was 39 years old. She had a recent measles diagnosis and several health conditions.
The coroner did not name the woman. The office said her death met the state rules for a measles-linked death. According to USA TODAY, a coroner spokesperson told NBC News the woman was unvaccinated.
The same spokesperson gave a likely cause of death. The spokesperson pointed to a sudden heart problem. The problem may have come from possible complications of measles.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is reviewing the reported death. The department said it has confirmed five measles-linked deaths since late August. The department said it will update the public after its review ends.
Pennsylvania had 1,136 measles cases as of October 9, according to Reuters. Johns Hopkins University put the United States total at 4,267 cases. South Carolina had 1,004 cases, Texas had 995, and Utah had 724.
The CDC counted 4,080 cases across the country. The CDC listed two measles-linked deaths across the country. The two counts differ because the state and the CDC use different rules.
Pennsylvania asked the CDC for formal help. The state made the request through the CDC Epi-Aid program. The CDC said it would deploy more support to help probe the outbreak.
Epi-Aid is the CDC rapid-response program. The CDC said it will work with local health officials. The team will probe the outbreak, back the response, and help stop the spread.
Texas, South Carolina, Virginia, Kansas, New Mexico, and Wisconsin also asked for Epi-Aid help. Federal teams worked with those states to fight their outbreaks. The CDC said those outbreaks came under control fast.
The count gap has led to a public dispute. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr leads the department that runs the CDC. In August, he asked for two Pennsylvania deaths to leave the CDC count.
He questioned whether the virus caused those deaths. Kennedy accused Governor Josh Shapiro of making up the deaths. Shapiro said Kennedy was playing down the danger of measles.
The CDC now counts a death only when records list measles as the base cause. The CDC will use death records from the National Center for Health Statistics. In the past, the CDC leaned on state reports to count deaths.
The CDC has promised a new shared rule for counting deaths. The CDC said it was saddened to learn of the death. The agency said it stays committed to backing the state.
The CDC said Secretary Kennedy and Director Erica Schwartz still back the MMR shot. The two leaders call it the best guard against measles. During the Texas outbreak, Kennedy urged people to get shots.
That step marked a shift from his past stance on shots. The CDC has reportedly sent at least 100 million dollars in extra funds to states. The funds back shots and case tracking.
Why it matters
Pennsylvania holds more than one fourth of all United States cases. The country is in its worst measles outbreak in decades. The CDC counted 2,289 cases in all of 2025, the most since 1990.
The CDC confirmed three deaths in all of 2025. This year logged its first death in late August. Pennsylvania now reports six measles-linked deaths as of October 13.
The United States called measles wiped out in 2000. That year brought just 86 cases. A new wave that began in early 2025 has pushed the virus back.
The first hub was Gaines County, Texas. Health officials will meet in November to weigh if the country lost its wiped-out status.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a State Disaster Emergency in early October. That was the first such move in recent years. Critics note the CDC has not run broad vaccine drives as in past years.
Clear counts help the public grasp the risk. Two counts can leave people unsure whom to trust. That doubt can slow the response.
Vaccination rates have dropped in recent years. Kindergarten MMR coverage fell from 95.2 percent to 92.5 percent. The fall spans the 2019-2020 and 2024-2025 school years.
Most states sit below the 95 percent bar for school-age herd immunity. Herd immunity means enough people have guard so a germ cannot spread fast. The drop in shots has fueled the surge, according to health officials.
About 90 percent of unvaccinated people who meet measles catch it. About 1 in 5 of those people end up in the hospital. That figure comes from the CDC.
Measles is most risky for young children. The MMR shot stops measles in about 97 of 100 cases. The CDC schedule sets the first dose at 12 to 15 months.
The CDC schedule sets the second dose at 4 to 6 years. Our report on West Nile virus deaths covers a second outbreak. Our shigellosis explainer explains a gut germ that also spreads fast.
Bird flu also made news this week. It killed a famed bald eagle in California. Read Jackie the bald eagle's cause of death for that story.
What happens next
The CDC team will work with Pennsylvania health officials. The team will probe the outbreak and back the state response. The goal is to stop the spread.
The state will finish its review of the sixth death. The department will update the public when the review ends. The CDC said it will add the death if death records list it.
The CDC will build a new shared rule for counting deaths. That rule should make state and federal counts match more closely. Health officials will meet in November on the wiped-out status.
This article is for information only and is not medical advice.
The next weeks will show if the new help slows the spread. The death review and fresh case counts will give a clearer picture. State and CDC updates will carry the next facts.
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