Pennsylvania’s reported measles cases are almost at 1,000 for 2026, days after its health department confirmed the figure had passed 900.
“977 measles cases have been confirmed across 39 counties in Pennsylvania so far in 2026,” Pennsylvania’s Department of Health wrote in a statement Friday.
The agency highlighted that 34 new Pennsylvania measles cases had emerged since Sept. 30, with hospitalizations tied to the infection reaching 195. The statement also reemphasized the state’s reported five measles-associated deaths amid an ongoing dispute between Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the outbreak’s true death toll.
The outbreak is the worst the commonwealth has seen in more than 35 years.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health added Friday that 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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes measles as a highly contagious virus but adds that two doses of the MMR vaccine provide the best protection. Pennsylvania’s health department stated that both doses together are 97 percent effective at preventing measles for life.
Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Department of Health began the process of requesting emergency assistance from the CDC’s Epi-Aid program following five reported deaths tied to the infection, but only on the condition that the federal agency publicly recognizes the state’s entire reported death count.
The CDC has refused to acknowledge the same number of deaths as the Keystone State in its national count, sparking a bitter political dispute between Shapiro and Kennedy over what constitutes a measles death.
The federal agency to date has only recognized two deaths in its measles cases and outbreaks index, though the website adds that “this number is subject to change.”
The CDC’s database does not specify where or when these deaths occurred, so it’s not clear if the tally includes Pennsylvania’s reported cases. However, no other state has recorded a measles death this year.
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