VIRUS SPREAD SO EASILY. MICHAEL, AND WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY. YEAH. JERRY AND LORI, 101 CASES. THAT’S HOW MANY MEASLES INFECTIONS HAVE NOW BEEN REPORTED IN PENNSYLVANIA. AND WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK ACROSS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY, IN THE STATE, IN GENERAL, LANCASTER COUNTY REMAINS THE HARDEST HIT AREA, REPORTING 52 CASES. YOU KNOW, OVER 25 YEARS AGO, THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL DECLARED MEASLES ELIMINATED IN THE U.S. SO WHY IS IT MAKING A COMEBACK? OUR VACCINATION RATE IS BELOW THE. 95% RATE THAT WE NEED IN ORDER TO PROTECT EVERYONE FROM MEASLES. SO BECAUSE WE HAVE UNVACCINATED PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ARE CONTRACTING THE DISEASE, THEY ARE EASILY SPREADING IT TO OTHER EITHER IMMUNOCOMPROMISED PEOPLE OR UNVACCINATED PEOPLE, INCLUDING LITTLE BABIES. AND THOSE LACK OF VACCINATIONS CONTINUE TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE SPREAD. FOR COMPARISON, PENNSYLVANIA REPORTED 16 MEASLES CASES LAST YEAR AND JUST 4 IN 2024. SO, ACCORDING TO HEALTH EXPERTS, THE RISE IN CASES IS A BIG DEAL BECAUSE THEY SAY THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST CONTAGIOUS DISEASES THEY TREAT. ACCORDING TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, MEASLES SPREADS EASILY THROUGH THE AIR, OFTEN FROM AN INFECTED PERSON’S COUGH OR SNEEZE. SYMPTOMS USUALLY APPEAR IN 7 TO 14 DAYS AND CAN INCLUDE A HIGH FEVER, COUGH, OR RUNNY NOSE. NOW, DOCTOR PIA FENIMORE, CHIEF OF PEDIATRICS AT LANCASTER, PENN MEDICINE, SAYS THERE CAN BE LONG TERM ISSUES LIKE NEUROLOGICAL EFFECTS AND BRAIN DAMAGE. AND AS A RESULT OF THE CURRENT OUTBREAK, SOME OF THE VACCINE RECOMMENDATIONS HAS CHANGED. AND SHE HAS THIS MESSAGE FOR PARENTS. WE ARE NOW RECOMMENDING THAT A CHILD BE VACCINATED STARTING AT AGE SIX MONTHS, AND THAT THEY GET THEIR BOOSTER WITHIN ONE MONTH OF RECEIVING THEIR FIRST VACCINE. THE MEASLES VACCINE IS INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE AND THAT IT IS VERY SAFE, AND THAT IT IS THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD FROM MEASLES, WHICH CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS AND CAN BE DEADLY. AND AS ALWAYS, DOCTOR FENIMORE SUGGESTS, FOR PARENTS WITH ANY
Pennsylvania measles cases surpass 100 as outbreak continues
Updated: 10:20 PM EDT Jul 9, 2026
Pennsylvania has reported 101 measles cases, with Lancaster County accounting for 52 of them, as health officials warn the outbreak is ongoing and emphasize the need for vaccinations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared measles eliminated in the U.S. over 25 years ago, but the disease has reemerged. Dr. Pia Fenimore, chief of pediatrics at Lancaster Penn Medicine, explained the factors contributing to the virus’s spread. “Our vaccination rate is below the 95% rate that we need in order to protect everyone from measles,” Fenimore said. “So because we have unvaccinated people out there contracting the disease, they are easily spreading it to other immunocompromised people and/or little babies.” For comparison, Pennsylvania recorded 16 measles cases last year and just four in 2024. Health experts describe measles as one of the most contagious diseases they treat.Symptoms, risks, and preventionAccording to the state Department of Health, the virus spreads through the air, often from an infected person’s cough or sneeze. Symptoms typically appear within 7 to 14 days and can include a high fever, cough, and runny nose. Fenimore also noted the potential long-term effects of the disease. “There can be long-term issues like neurological effects and brain damage,” she said. In response to the outbreak, vaccine recommendations have been updated. “We are now recommending that a child become vaccinated starting at age 6 months and that they get their booster within one month of receiving their first vaccine,” Fenimore said. “The measles vaccine is incredibly effective and very safe and is the best way to protect your child from measles, which can be very dangerous and deadly.” Fenimore encouraged parents with questions or concerns to contact their children’s pediatrician.
Pennsylvania has reported 101 measles cases, with Lancaster County accounting for 52 of them, as health officials warn the outbreak is ongoing and emphasize the need for vaccinations.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared measles eliminated in the U.S. over 25 years ago, but the disease has reemerged. Dr. Pia Fenimore, chief of pediatrics at Lancaster Penn Medicine, explained the factors contributing to the virus’s spread.
“Our vaccination rate is below the 95% rate that we need in order to protect everyone from measles,” Fenimore said. “So because we have unvaccinated people out there contracting the disease, they are easily spreading it to other immunocompromised people and/or little babies.”
For comparison, Pennsylvania recorded 16 measles cases last year and just four in 2024. Health experts describe measles as one of the most contagious diseases they treat.
Symptoms, risks, and prevention
According to the state Department of Health, the virus spreads through the air, often from an infected person’s cough or sneeze. Symptoms typically appear within 7 to 14 days and can include a high fever, cough, and runny nose.
Fenimore also noted the potential long-term effects of the disease. “There can be long-term issues like neurological effects and brain damage,” she said.
In response to the outbreak, vaccine recommendations have been updated. “We are now recommending that a child become vaccinated starting at age 6 months and that they get their booster within one month of receiving their first vaccine,” Fenimore said. “The measles vaccine is incredibly effective and very safe and is the best way to protect your child from measles, which can be very dangerous and deadly.”
Fenimore encouraged parents with questions or concerns to contact their children’s pediatrician.