Third measles-related death reported in US outbreak

A 40-year-old woman in Pennsylvania has died from complications associated with measles, according to Jefferson County’s medical examiner, making her the third person reported to have died during the United States’ 2026 outbreak.

The woman died on Saturday, county officials said. Her identity and detailed medical circumstances have not been released. The Washington Post, citing the medical examiner, reported that she was unvaccinated, although officials quoted in the report did not directly confirm that detail.

Pennsylvania has recorded 676 measles cases this year, including 108 reported in the past week, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The department said 124 people have been hospitalised, with nearly a third of reported cases involving children.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 3,294 cases across more than 45 states in 2026. The two other reported deaths occurred in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County in August, although the US administration has disputed the state’s classification of those deaths as measles-related.

Lancaster County accounts for 295 of Pennsylvania’s cases this year, while fewer than 1 per cent of cases statewide involved people who were fully vaccinated. Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000 but has resurged in recent years amid concerns about vaccine hesitancy.