More than 50 new cases of measles have been reported in Pennsylvania since Wednesday, state health officials said, as efforts continue to combat an outbreak that has spread across the state.<\/p>\n
The 55 new cases, reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health in a statement<\/a> on Friday, bring the total number of cases to 890 across 39 counties so far this year.<\/p>\n The outbreak has led to 173 hospitalizations and four measles-associated deaths, according to the department.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile daily numbers fluctuate,\u201d the department said, \u201ctracking these trends provides Pennsylvanians and health care providers with visibility into community transmission across the Commonwealth and helps inform the department\u2019s ongoing response.\u201d<\/p>\n The agency noted that fewer<\/a> than 1 percent of reported cases were among people who were vaccinated against the disease and that 31 percent of cases were among people under 18.<\/p>\n The latest case figures arrive as the state has been leading the country<\/a> in outbreaks and at least two of the deaths have become the focus of a contentious disagreement between state and federal officials over whether they were a result of measles<\/a> or merely coincided with the infection.<\/p>\n Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has disputed whether measles<\/a> directly caused deaths reported by state health officials across the country.<\/p>\n Lancaster County, Pa., which is about 60 miles west of Philadelphia, recorded the highest number<\/a> of cases in the state so far this year, with 359, followed by Mifflin County, with 102, according to the health department.<\/p>\n It was not clear on Sunday which counties had reported the latest 55 cases.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, another large outbreak was reported in South Carolina in its tightly knit evangelical Slavic community.<\/a> Outbreaks have also been ongoing in other states, including California and Indiana.<\/p>\n The United States has recorded more measles cases in 2026<\/a> than in any year since the virus was declared eliminated in 2000. Last year, the disease infected more than 2,200 people and killed three.<\/p>\n The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported one death so far in 2026<\/a> but added: \u201cThis number is subject to change; C.D.C. will update its reporting as additional information becomes available and relevant reviews are completed.\u201d<\/p>\n It did not identify where or exactly when that death had occurred.<\/p>\n