Measles cases top 500 in Pa. as outbreak continues
The commonwealth likely has the second-most cases of any state.
By JAMES ENGEL
Trib
LiveMore than 500 measles cases have now been confirmed in Pennsylvania so far this year, according to updated figures from the state health department.
The count sat at 540 confirmed cases Wednesday, up more than 40 from Monday, when the state offered its last update. More than 20% of cases this year have been confirmed in the last week.
The milestone comes as Pennsylvania contends with a growing outbreak of the highly contagious disease, which state health officials say was related to two deaths last month in Lancaster County — though federal officials dispute this.
Around half of the confirmed cases are in and around Lancaster County with other hot spots in Mifflin, Snyder, Centre, Clearfield and Jefferson counties.
The new figures seem to place Pennsylvania just ahead of Utah as the state with the second most measles cases this year.
Utah Health and Human Services figures — updated Tuesday at 3 p.m. — record 518 measles cases in 2026.
South Carolina still outpaces both states with 670 confirmed cases, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data updated last Thursday.
So far, the CDC has declined to include two deaths — which Pennsylvania officials described as “measles associated” — in national figures as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to dispute the nature of the deaths in an ongoing feud with Gov. Josh Shapiro.
No Allegheny County residents have tested positive for the disease so far, but three out-of-county people have tested positive for the virus at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh — one of whom came from Jefferson County.
Nine cases have also been confirmed in Indiana County in addition to single confirmed cases in Westmoreland and Armstrong counties.
Health experts attribute the outbreak to sinking vaccination rates in recent years as vaccine skepticism continues to rise.
In the U.S., the vaccine comes in the form of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is safe and comes in two doses.
Measles is a virus that infects the lungs and spreads when an infected person breaths, coughs, or sneezes, according to the CDC.
The virus remains in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours, even after the infected person leaves the area. An individual with measles can spread the virus to others four days before and four days after a distinctive rash begins.
Symptoms can start seven to 21 days after exposure.
Symptoms to watch for include fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash that starts on the head or face before spreading downward.
Experts advise those who think they may have been exposed to measles to call ahead before coming to the hospital.
