Amid a nationwide resurgence, the Lehigh Valley reported its first measles cases in August since 2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lehigh students and staff received an email on Aug. 10, informing the campus community of two cases of measles found in the Lehigh Valley and reminding them of Lehigh\u2019s vaccine requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n
St. Luke\u2019s Hospital Network<\/a> reported the cases, both of which involved children.<\/p>\n These new reports come as Pennsylvania reported 115 new cases<\/a> in the last week, and two deaths <\/a>\u2013 including that of a newborn<\/a> \u2013 were reported in Lancaster County in August, marking the first measles-related deaths in Pennsylvania in 35 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pennsylvania\u2019s total number of measles cases currently stands at 577<\/a>, making it one of the most impacted states in the country in 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a>, the community vaccination threshold for measles immunity is around 92 to-94%. The vaccination rate in Pennsylvania is around 88.9%.\u00a0<\/p>\n These cases have drawn scrutiny<\/a> from U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who said they may have been \u201cfabricated\u201d by a staffer for Gov. Josh Shapiro.\u00a0<\/p>\n The two deaths are not currently included in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s national measles death tally<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Margaret Renneisen, clinical director of Lehigh\u2019s Health and Wellness Center, said measles can present like a common cold, with symptoms such as a cough, runny nose and fever. After a couple of days, a rash can develop.<\/p>\n Renneisen said the infectious disease is spread through respiratory pathways and can remain in a room for up to two hours after an infected person leaves it.<\/p>\n According to the CDC<\/a>, nine out of 10 unvaccinated people who come in contact with the disease will become infected, one in five unvaccinated individuals will be hospitalized and one out of 20 children will develop pneumonia, the leading cause of death for children who get measles.<\/p>\n Although measles is commonly viewed as a disease that impacts children, Renneisen said it can pose significant health risks to anyone, including college students.<\/p>\n \u201cYoung children who have not been vaccinated are going to be heavily impacted, and elderly patients are going to be heavily impacted,\u201d Renneisen said. \u201cBut it also really impacts young, healthy college students, young healthy adults and they are absolutely \u2013 if unvaccinated \u2013 still at a huge risk of being hospitalized and ultimately dying.\u201d<\/p>\n A stand-alone measles vaccine was developed in the late 1950s, while the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine was introduced in 1971<\/a> by Maurice Hilleman.\u00a0<\/p>\n The recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices changed in 1979<\/a> from one dose to two for greater immunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the CDC<\/a>, at least 95% of a community should be vaccinated against measles to prevent outbreaks. In 2025, Pennsylvania\u2019s kindergarten vaccination rate dropped<\/a> to 93.2% from 96.4% in 2019, falling below the CDC recommended threshold.\u00a0<\/p>\n Renneisen said for younger physicians like herself, measles was considered eradicated in the years after the vaccine was introduced.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, skepticism around the vaccine grew when a 1998 case series published<\/a> in The Lancet and led by Arthur Wakefield claimed a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism in children.\u00a0<\/p>\n It later was revealed that Wakefield was paid by lawyers working on a lawsuit related to MMR vaccines, and the study contained several ethical errors. The paper was retracted<\/a> in February 2010, but Lehigh economics professor Shin-Yi Chou said the damage had already been done to the public\u2019s perception of the vaccine\u2019s reliability.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe took a look at the figures, at the data, and you know, the uptake rate (of the MMR vaccine) did not go up even after the paper was retracted,\u201d Chou said.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Chou\u2019s following research with co-authors Mengcen Qian and Ernest Lai, the group discovered that highly-educated parents<\/a> were most likely to refrain from vaccinating their children with MMR.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s kind of counterintuitive because when you are highly-educated, you are more capable of finding information,\u201d Chou said. \u201cBut you do not find information across the board. You tend to find the information (that) confirms what you have already believed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Renneisen said at this point, there are a lot of people who are not getting vaccinated and there are clusters in different parts of the country where there are larger groups not getting fully vaccinated.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAnd so we really are starting to lose that herd immunity, which is making it a lot easier for these diseases to be spread.\u201d<\/p>\n Partly driving the mistrust in the MMR vaccine is messaging from RFK Jr.<\/a>, who has said that he believes there is a connection between vaccines and autism.<\/p>\n Renneisen said this claim has been disproven multiple times and the best way to stay protected against measles is to get vaccinated, regardless of age. Losing herd immunity can be extremely dangerous for communities, she said.<\/p>\n Lehigh asks that all students receive both MMR vaccinations, Renneisen said. Currently, there\u2019s a very small percentage of students who are unvaccinated.\u00a0<\/p>\n As the Health Center bolsters its Measles Response Plan<\/a>, Renneisen also said analyzing the percentage of students vaccinated with MMR is something the center is currently working on. The center plans to release more information in coming weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n