By Siddhi Mahatole
Nov 4 (Reuters) – Pennsylvania health officials on Wednesday reported the state’s sixth measles-associated death this year as the outbreak continued to spread.
The state has emerged as the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for a substantial share of infections reported nationwide.
The state health department said the latest death involved an unvaccinated resident of Jefferson County who tested positive for measles.
State officials said measles-associated deaths this year have involved three residents of Lancaster County, two residents of Jefferson County and one resident of Mifflin County.
The department also said it was aware of reports of a Franklin County resident who died in October, but that its investigation had not found evidence meeting the criteria to classify the case as a measles-associated death as of November 4.
The US Department of Health and Human Services said it was saddened by the latest death and noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had deployed additional support to work alongside state and local health officials to investigate the outbreak and strengthen response efforts.
HHS said the CDC had also provided nearly $4 million in one-time emergency funding to support Pennsylvania’s response through most of 2027.
The latest death comes days after New York state reported its first measles-associated child death in more than 30 years.
Pennsylvania has recorded 1,467 confirmed measles cases as of November 4, including 283 hospitalizations, according to the state health department.
Across the US, 4,852 confirmed measles cases had been reported as of October 29, according to CDC data.
The CDC has recorded three measles-related deaths this year but did not name the states where they occurred.
The gap in numbers follows a policy shift under US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with the CDC switching to the National Center for Health Statistics’ mortality data to track measles deaths, replacing its earlier reliance on state health departments’ figures.
Meanwhile, the Pan American Health Organization’s expert commission is expected to decide next week whether the United States still meets the criteria for measles elimination, a status it has held since 2000.
(Reporting by Kamal Choudhury and Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Leroy Leo)
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