U.S. Measles Deaths Rise to 10 as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin Report New Cases
U.S. measles deaths rose to 10 this year after Pennsylvania and Wisconsin each reported a new fatality on Friday. About 5,400 cases are recorded, the most since 1991, and a Pan American Health Organization ruling on U.S. elimination status is expected Tuesday.
U.S. measles deaths rose to 10 this year on Friday, November 13, after Pennsylvania and Wisconsin each reported a new death, state health departments said. The outbreak is the country's largest since 1991.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said a second child in the state has died of measles. The death was reported in Grant County, in the southwest corner of the state. The department withheld other details to protect the family's privacy.
Pennsylvania's Department of Health said its latest death was an unvaccinated resident of Montour County who had tested positive for measles.
Where the deaths have occurred
Pennsylvania has now reported seven measles-associated deaths this year, Wisconsin two and New York one. None of the three states had recorded a measles death in more than 30 years before this outbreak.
About 5,400 cases had been recorded nationwide as of Thursday. That is more than double last year's count. Public health experts attribute the surge to falling vaccination rates and a global resurgence of the virus.
Wisconsin has confirmed at least 649 infections across 20 counties, its highest number in more than 35 years. The state health department says the true toll is probably higher, because not everyone who is infected seeks care or gets tested.
A different federal count
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported six measles deaths for 2026 in figures posted Thursday. It did not say which states they came from.
The CDC changed its data source for measles deaths in September. It now uses figures from the National Center for Health Statistics. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had argued, without evidence, that two of the Pennsylvania deaths might not be from measles.
Infants and vaccination
At least four deaths this year were in babies too young to be vaccinated. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin now recommend an early dose for infants aged 6 to 11 months in areas with high case counts.
The first dose is usually given around a child's first birthday and the second at 4 to 6 years. Two doses are 97% effective. Wisconsin's vaccination rate has fallen below the 95% needed to protect a community broadly.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), part of the World Health Organization, met this week to decide whether the United States can still count as measles-free. Its decision is expected Tuesday. The question is whether the virus has spread continuously for a full year. Canada lost its status last year on that basis.
The United States declared measles eliminated in 2000. "It can cause life-threatening complications including pneumonia and swelling of the brain," Wisconsin's health department said in announcing the second death.
