{"id":868318,"date":"2026-08-25T22:06:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T22:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/868318\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T22:06:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T22:06:16","slug":"us-measles-deaths-two-unvaccinated-people-die-as-pennsylvania-records-first-deaths-in-35-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/868318\/","title":{"rendered":"US measles deaths: Two unvaccinated people die as Pennsylvania records first deaths in 35 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Michael<\/p>\n

August 26, 2026 \u2014 5:36am<\/p>\n

Save<\/p>\n

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n

Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n

AAA<\/p>\n

Washington: Two unvaccinated people died with measles in the US state of Pennsylvania, becoming the first deaths there linked to the disease in 35 years, amid a growing national outbreak.<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania\u2019s Department of Health announced the deaths on Tuesday (US time), and warned that the return of measles after a decades-long absence meant people did not grasp its severity.<\/p>\n

\"USUS Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr announced an overhaul of federal guidelines on the childhood vaccine schedule this month.Bloomberg<\/p>\n

It comes as US President Donald Trump and his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, continue to sow doubts about vaccines, including by pushing an unsubstantiated link with autism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This month, Trump signed an executive order<\/a> that called for parents to space out their children\u2019s vaccine visits and break up the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab – which is not currently possible.<\/p>\n

Both deaths were in Lancaster County \u2013 an area of southern Pennsylvania with a large Amish population, which has historically had lower rates of vaccination. The department would not release further information about the deceased.<\/p>\n

So far in 2026, Pennsylvania has detected 393 cases of measles in 28 counties. Across the US, there have been 2777 confirmed cases<\/a> this year, spanning most states and Washington DC.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is only available as a combined dose at present.AP Photo\/Mary Conlon<\/p>\n

Tuesday\u2019s announcement marked the first time people died from measles in Pennsylvania in 35 years. They are also the first US deaths from the disease this year. Last year, three Americans died, following nearly a decade of zero deaths.<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania\u2019s health secretary, Debra Bogen, said the virtual elimination of measles in the state for more than three decades meant \u201cpeople are not familiar with this disease and don\u2019t fully understand the potential severity of the illness\u201d.<\/p>\n

The best way to protect against measles was vaccination, she said, with two doses of the MMR vaccine providing 97 per cent lifetime protection.<\/p>\n

The number of measles cases recorded this year has already eclipsed last year\u2019s total of 2289. Nearly 50 per cent were among young people aged five to 19, and 94 per cent were among people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown, according to the Centres for Disease Control.<\/p>\n

\"TrumpTrump has issued an executive order to establish a \u201cgold standard\u201d vaccination schedule for children.Bloomberg<\/p>\n

The 2025 and 2026 figures are the highest measles numbers in decades, with only a 2019 outbreak (1274 cases) coming close.<\/p>\n

Earlier in August, Trump urged parents to break up the MMR vaccine into three separate shots, even though that is not currently enabled by the medical profession or the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n

In a subsequent briefing with reporters, US officials said they would work with the private sector to try to make separate doses available.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Trump\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

At a televised news conference in the Oval Office, Trump said the US was recommending too many vaccines. He claimed without evidence that the MMR vaccine could be \u201cquite lethal\u201d, but when given separately, \u201cit looks like they are not at all lethal but just every effective\u201d.<\/p>\n

The US president also falsely spoke of an \u201cexplosion\u201d in vaccine injury, and claimed that doctors were injecting children with large doses that looked like \u201ca bottle of soda poured into a little child\u2019s body\u201d.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s executive order did not mention autism. But in his unscripted remarks, he asserted an unproven link between vaccination and higher rates of autism diagnoses in modern times.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a reason for such epidemic rates of autism, and we\u2019re going to bring it back to much closer to where it was,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The president\u2019s order does not change vaccine requirements for schools, or impact the policies of state health departments. Rather, it stands as a recommendation from the US federal government.<\/p>\n

\"USUS Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy J has long been a vaccine sceptic.Bloomberg<\/p>\n

Following Trump\u2019s announcement, the American Medical Association said that altering the proven childhood vaccination schedule without credible evidence risked weakening public confidence in vaccines, and putting children\u2019s health at risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cExtensive evidence from decades of scientific studies shows no link between vaccines and autism,\u201d president Willie Underwood said. \u201cPutting our children\u2019s health at risk is not an option.\u201d<\/p>\n

When contacted for comment, the US Department of Health and Human Services pointed to a statement from the Centres for Disease Control which offered condolences following the two \u201cmeasles-associated deaths\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe MMR vaccine provides the most effective protection against measles and helps prevent its spread,\u201d it said. \u201cCDC will continue to follow Pennsylvania\u2019s lead and provide resources to support the state\u2019s response.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what\u2019s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Save<\/p>\n

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n

Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n

\"MichaelMichael Koziol<\/a> is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"August 26, 2026 \u2014 5:36am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":868319,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[64,63,137],"class_list":["post-868318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=868318"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868318\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/868319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=868318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=868318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=868318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}