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Pennsylvania Reports Over 1,300 Measles Cases Amid Ongoing Outbreak
· Confirmed
In Short: Pennsylvania's health department has reported over 1,300 measles cases this year, with the outbreak continuing to spread across the state.
As of October 19, Pennsylvania had reported 1,286 measles cases this year across 42 counties, according to Ars Technica. By October 20, the state health department announced an additional 78 new cases, bringing the total to 1,338 cases across 44 counties.
The outbreak, which began in late April, has been concentrated in Lancaster County, known for its traditional Amish roots and open farmland. The state health department said it has administered more than 6,500 measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccinations at pop-up clinics in affected communities.
Health officials are particularly concerned about the impact on pregnant individuals and newborns. Pennsylvania's health department issued a health alert warning of an increase in measles cases among pregnant individuals and the subsequent rise in congenital measles cases, which have not been seen in decades.
The outbreak has resulted in five measles-associated deaths being identified, plus a sixth death reported recently by a local coroner. A 39-year-old unvaccinated woman in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, died on October 10 of what the county coroner recorded as a probable acute cardiac event due to possible complications of measles.
The outbreak is the largest of multiple outbreaks across the US, with the national average price of a gallon of gas standing at $4.27, marking an increase of nearly $1.30, or 43%, since the outbreak of the Iran war in February.
In Pennsylvania, the outbreak has been exacerbated by vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. Steve Nolt, a resident of Lancaster County, said while the majority of the non-Amish population live harmoniously with the Amish, there is still concern about the spread of measles.
The state health department said none of the victims was vaccinated, and Franklin County officials reported the 39-year-old had a previous measles diagnosis and 'several underlying conditions.'
Health officials are investigating a spike in cyclosporiasis, a parasitic illness nicknamed the 'explosive diarrhea parasite,' which has affected nearly 13,000 people in a multistate outbreak.
The outbreak has also raised concerns about the impact on neighboring counties. In Chester County, 93 cases have been reported this year, but there is concern around unreported infections.
The outbreak has spread to other states as well. Kentucky's measles outbreak has nearly doubled in size in less than three weeks, with 94 confirmed cases now reported across the state so far this year.
The outbreak has also led to travel advisories. The State Department has raised the advisory to level 3 for Kenya, asking Americans to reconsider travel due to the risk of health, crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest, and traffic safety.
What this adds
The outbreak has more than doubled the number of measles cases in the United States, reaching 4,588 cases as of the latest CDC report, compared to 2,244 cases reported in 2025.
The outbreak has also raised concerns about the impact on neighboring counties and states, with health officials investigating a spike in cyclosporiasis.
Background
Pennsylvania is facing its worst measles outbreak in three decades, with the state health department reporting 1,260 cases as of Friday.
The number of measles cases in the United States has more than doubled this year, reaching 4,588 cases as of the latest CDC report, compared to 2,244 cases reported in 2025.
What's confirmed
- As of October 19, Pennsylvania had reported 1,286 measles cases this year across 42 counties, according to Ars Technica.
- Pennsylvania's Lancaster County is known for its traditional Amish roots and open farmland. ( AFP: René Mattes/Hemis ) The US state of Pennsylvania is grappling with its worst measles outbreak in three decades, with more than 1,300 cases reported since April.
What's still developing
- Uganda, which declared itself Ebola-free in July after recording 20 cases, has denied claims that Nigeria’s first case originated there.
- It has since infected more than 9,500 people and killed nearly half of them, making it the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak in history.
- The WHO said on Wednesday that it had advised “all countries in the region to sustain a high level of readiness as the DRC outbreak continues to evolve.” In parts of Congo, including North Kivu, health authorities say the disease is out of control, with most recorded deaths occurring in the community and contact tracing struggling to keep pace with the virus’ spread.
- “We are doing everything possible to contain this case by tracing all the contacts the individual may have had,” he said.
- Dr Jean Kaseya, the director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, said on X that “we are facing an extremely serious threat,” with a fatality rate of nearly 50% of cases.
- Bangladesh, whose routine vaccination program faltered in 2025, has reported 202,000 suspected measles cases — 22,000 of them laboratory-confirmed — from the start of the outbreak in mid-March to Oct. 9, the World Health Organization said.
- “There is a gap,” prime ministerial adviser Hyder told Reuters on Sept. 14, as measles cases rose again, blaming vaccine hesitancy by parents or child illnesses for keeping children away.
- The Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak has claimed almost 4,000 deaths and infected 8,224 so far, Mankoula added.
- Doctors found strange nodules growing on their lungs, and several people died as cases mounted over the next few years.
- The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said it’s “aware of and closely monitoring” a suspected pneumonic plague outbreak in Russia.
- Just last month he found himself at the mercy of a mutant zombie outbreak in Zach Cregger's Resident Evil and now he's being swallowed by an actual whale.
- NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s Ebola outbreak rose to nine confirmed cases on Tuesday after another person who had been in contact with the country's first patient tested positive while in quarantine, health officials said.