PA Nears 1,000 Measles Cases

By Sandra Rhodes (/journals/sandra-rhodes)

Pennsylvania’s reported measles cases are nearing 1,000 for 2026.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health Department confirmed the figure is well past 900.

“977 measles cases have been confirmed across 39 counties in Pennsylvania so far in 2026,” the health wrote in a statement Friday.

There has been 34 new measles cases in the Keystone State since Sept. 30. There has been 195 hospitalizations.

The statement reemphasized the state’s reported five measles-associated deaths as Gov. Josh Shapiro and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fight over the numbers.

The outbreak is the worst the commonwealth has seen in more than 35 years.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Health said all but four of its measles cases have been among people who were not fully vaccinated against the virus.

“In a typical month, Pennsylvania health care providers administer approximately 25,000 doses of the MMR vaccine,” it wrote. “In August 2026, more than 49,000 MMR vaccines were administered and so far in September 2026, more than 53,000 doses have been administered.”

The CDC has refused to acknowledge the five deaths in its national count, sparking a bitter political dispute between Shapiro and Kennedy over what constitutes a measles death.

The federal agency  has only recognized two deaths in its measles cases and outbreaks index, though the website adds that “this number is subject to change.”

TheNo other state has recorded a measles death this year.

In 2025, three people in the U.S. died from measles — two in Texas and one in New Mexico.