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A sixth measles-related death is reported in Pennsylvania
Confirmed
In Short: NBC News reported Monday that a sixth measles-related death has been confirmed in Pennsylvania, involving a 39-year-old woman from Franklin County.
The woman had not been vaccinated and had underlying health conditions, according to the Franklin County Coroner’s Office.
The coroner stated that the primary cause of death was a probable acute cardiac event due to possible complications of the measles.
The outbreak, which began earlier this year, has now sickened over 1,100 individuals, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Historically, measles infections cause 1 to 2 deaths per 1,000 cases, but the current outbreak is far worse, according to Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician and director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
The state’s Health Department considers a death to be “measles-associated” if it occurred within 30 days of symptom onset and there is clinical evidence of a measles infection and a positive laboratory test.
The Health Department said it was aware of the Franklin County coroner’s announcement and was conducting a thorough review of the reported death.
The outbreak has been largely concentrated among unvaccinated individuals, with 95% of those diagnosed being unvaccinated, according to the CDC.
The first measles death in Pennsylvania was reported in late August, and the sixth death was reported in less than two months.
The outbreak has surpassed 1,000 cases, with 219 hospitalizations confirmed as of Friday.
The coroner’s office wrote in a statement, shared to Facebook, that the death meets the definition set forth by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for a measles-associated death.
The Health Department said in an email Monday that it was aware of the Franklin County coroner’s announcement and “is conducting a thorough review of the reported death.”
The outbreak is the largest in Pennsylvania in three decades, and the state has seen a significant increase in cases since the beginning of the year.
What's confirmed
- A sixth person with confirmed measles has died in Pennsylvania as the state continues to see the largest outbreak the U.S.
- “This is the first death in Franklin County in many years with a patient with a recent history of a measles diagnosis and meets the definition set forth by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for a measles-associated death,” the coroner’s office wrote in a statement, shared to Facebook.
What's still developing
- Measles is spreading across Pennsylvania and in other parts of the U.S.
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- "Our office is bound by laws that limit what can be shared publicly, and families deserve the dignity to mourn in private," the release from the coroner's office said.
- The latest case involves a 39-year-old woman from Franklin County.
- The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in early October that the fifth death occurred in a 20-year-old woman with a compromised immune system because of leukemia.