Pennsylvania reports fifth measles death as outbreak spreads

A fifth unvaccinated resident of Lancaster County died of measles, state health officials said Wednesday, raising the death count in Pennsylvania to five. The outbreak, which began in late April, has now been confirmed in 943 people across 39 counties, with 119 new cases reported in the past week and at least 176 hospitalizations.

Lancaster County, the epicenter of the outbreak, has recorded 381 cases and three of the five deaths. The earlier fatalities involved an infant and a six-week-old baby, both too young for vaccination. The other two deaths were an 18-year-old from Mifflin County who suffered a severe neurological complication and a 40-year-old woman with chronic health conditions, including COPD.

These are the first measles deaths reported in Pennsylvania in 35 years and the only measles fatalities in the United States so far this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has logged 3,659 measles cases nationwide, the highest annual total since 1991, but it is currently counting only two deaths, according to state officials.

State health workers have administered more than 8,500 doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine this year, including over 5,500 doses at pop-up clinics in the hardest-hit areas. > "The best protection against measles remains getting fully vaccinated," the health department said, adding that two doses of MMR provide about 97 percent lifetime protection.