Pennsylvania confirms the nation's fourth measles death amid the largest outbreak in 35 Years
According to local medical examiners, the latest fatality was an 18-year-old man, joining the two infants who were too young to be vaccinated and a 40-year-old man.
A health center in Lubbock, Texas / Ronald Schemidt
Authorities in Pennsylvania confirmed a fourth measles-related death on Tuesday, amid an outbreak that has reached levels not seen in the country in 35 years.
"My thoughts are with the two families who lost loved ones to this highly contagious virus, as Pennsylvania faces its worst measles outbreak in more than three decades," said State Health Secretary Debra Bogen.
According to local medical examiners, the latest fatality was an 18-year-old man, who joins the two infants who were too young to be vaccinated and a 40-year-old man.
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Last year, when the current outbreak began, three other measles-related deaths were reported in the United States, including two children.
Since early 2026, more than 3,290 cases of this serious disease have been reported in the United States, including nearly 700 in Pennsylvania.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Josh Shapiro clash over measles
"This serious situation continues to be made worse by RFK Jr. playing games with public health and safety," Shapiro wrote in a post on X on Tuesday, adding that "it's long past time" for Kennedy to "stop stoking vaccine skepticism and misinformation."
The governor also accused Kennedy of ordering federal officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "not to report these deaths in Pennsylvania, presumably because they don't fit his version of events."
Kennedy denied that accusation in a response on X, and accused Shapiro of politicizing the outbreak instead of implementing a unified public health response.
"I have repeatedly stated that MMR vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles," Kennedy said, referring to the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
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