CDC finds 96% of 2026 measles patients were unvaccinated or had unknown status

Pennsylvania officials urge full vaccination amid more than 250 hospitalizations

The CDC reported that 96% of people who contracted measles in 2026 were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. Pennsylvania officials urged residents to get fully vaccinated as the outbreak grew, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported more than 250 hospitalizations. The department said more than 39,000 measles vaccines were administered statewide during the first three weeks of October, above the average of 25,000 administered statewide in one month.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health said Friday that at least 1,338 cases had been confirmed across 44 counties so far this year. It also reported 21 new cases as of Oct. 21 and five deaths.

NPR reported that Lancaster and Mifflin counties were two of the counties with the highest numbers of cases in Pennsylvania. It said local Amish communities, which have low vaccination rates, had been affected most. The Pennsylvania Department of Health said three of the five people who died lived in Lancaster County.

New CDC data showed more than 4,580 measles cases across the United States since Oct. 22, more than double the number for the whole of 2025. NPR wrote: “The U.S. is grappling with its worst resurgence of measles in decades, with cases particularly high in the state of Pennsylvania.”

On Thursday, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen held a roundtable with Mifflin County health-care providers to assess their needs in combating the disease. “Our state metrics and data tell part of the story of the measles outbreak in Pennsylvania, but listening to the people on the ground caring for people in affected communities like Mifflin County is essential to refining our public health response,” Bogen said in a statement.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health said health-care providers had seen more residents interested in getting vaccinated for measles.

Health officials said vaccination is one of the best ways to protect oneself from getting measles. The CDC estimated that two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, known as MMR, are nearly 97% effective against measles, compared with about 93% for one dose.

Outside Pennsylvania, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency earlier in October after measles cases rose. There were more than 160 confirmed cases across the state, according to Oct. 20 data from the New York State Department of Health.

More than 700 people in Utah had been diagnosed with measles this year, according to Oct. 20 data from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. The department said there had not been any measles diagnoses in the state in three weeks.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health reported at least 997 measles cases in 2026. The department said the outbreak ended in April.