U.S. measles deaths rise to 10 after new reports in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin

The milestone arrives just as deliberations conclude over whether the U.S. has lost its measles elimination status.

The Details

Total measles deaths in the United States this year rose to 10 on Friday, a grim milestone in an outbreak that has seen a record number of infections and prompted state and local health departments to ramp up vaccination efforts.

Pennsylvania and Wisconsin each reported a new measles-associated death on Friday. The Wisconsin Health Department said a child had died, but declined to release more information, citing the family’s privacy. The Pennsylvania Health Department said its latest death was an unvaccinated resident of Montour County who had tested positive for measles.

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The virus, the most contagious known to humans, can lead to deadly complications, like pneumonia or swelling of the brain, in unvaccinated people.

So far this year, Pennsylvania has reported seven measles-associated deaths, Wisconsin has reported two and New York has reported one. Prior to those deaths, none of the states had seen a measles death in more than 30 years.

As of Thursday, around 5,400 measles cases have been recorded in the U.S. — more than double last year’s count and the highest since 1991. Public health experts attribute the outbreak to a sharp decline in measles vaccination rates coupled with a global resurgence of the virus.

America defeated measles in 2000. Vaccine opposition brought it roaring back.

Oct 15

CDC sending a ‘disease detective' to help stop measles outbreak in Pennsylvania Health & Wellness Oct 5 Pennsylvania's measles outbreak is the country's largest in three decades Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, meaning it was no longer continuously spreading, though there can be occasional outbreaks. The country now seems poised to lose that designation: The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a group within the World Health Organization, met this week to determine whether the U.S. can still be considered measles-free. Their decision is expected to be announced on Tuesday.

At the center of PAHO’s deliberations is whether there has been ongoing transmission in the U.S. for a full year. Canada lost its elimination status last year after the agency determined that the virus had been spreading there for at least 12 months.

Measles is already spreading widely enough in the U.S. to threaten infants who aren’t eligible for their first shot. At least four deaths this year were in babies too young to be vaccinated. In response to their outbreaks, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are recommending an early dose for infants ages 6 to 11 months who live 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.

Nationwide, 75% of counties and jurisdictions with measles vaccine data fall below the 95% vaccination rate needed to prevent outbreaks, according to an NBC News investigation.

The share of kindergartners who had been vaccinated for measles fell from 95% during the 2019-20 school year to 92% during the 2025-26 school year.