Unvaccinated Jefferson County woman dies of measles complications
Measles cases in the U.S. have reached 3,924 confirmed cases this year, the highest level in three decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The toll includes a Saturday death in Pennsylvania’s Jefferson County — an unvaccinated 40-year-old woman, the county’s first measles-related death, according to county Coroner Greg Furlong.
“This is a heartbreaking loss for the family and an unfortunate reminder that measles can be a serious and potentially life-threatening disease,” Furlong said.
The 2026 case count marks a steep increase from 2025, when there were 2,289 confirmed measles cases in the U.S., including the first measles-related death in a decade. The Wall Street Journal, reporting on this year’s surge, wrote that “the rapid spread illustrates a new normal in the U.S., where falling vaccination rates have made more communities vulnerable to the highly infectious disease that the country declared eliminated more than 25 years ago.”
The Saturday death follows Pennsylvania’s August report of two measles-associated deaths in Lancaster County, which state officials said at the time were the first such U.S. deaths reported this year. The Lancaster County coroner has since disputed that one infant’s death was caused by measles, and federal health authorities said they are examining the cause.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the dispute has become politicized amid changes to vaccine recommendations under the Trump administration.
The CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health did not immediately respond to requests for comment.