Pennsylvania confirms 977 measles cases this year and reports five deaths; the CDC's national tally counts two
The CDC changed its counting rule on Sept. 4. The state counts any death within 30 days of a lab-confirmed infection.
The outbreak. Pennsylvania has confirmed 977 measles cases this year across 39 of its 67 counties. That makes it the state's worst outbreak in more than 35 years. 195 people have been hospitalized. The death count. The state reports five measles deaths. The CDC has not recognized that count; its national index lists two. The gap has set off a public fight between Josh Shapiro (Gov-D Pennsylvania) and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
How Pennsylvania's 977 cases measure against past outbreaks and vaccine rates:
- Philadelphia, 1990–91, Pennsylvania's last worse outbreak: more than 1,400 confirmed cases and 9 child deaths
- Entire U.S. in 2019, then the largest outbreak since 1992: 1,274 confirmed cases across 31 states (CDC)
- Lancaster County, home to 391 of the 977 cases: just under 88% of kindergartners MMR-vaccinated in 2025-26, against the 95% herd-immunity line