The authorities of this eastern state of the country confirmed on Tuesday that six people had died of measles in 2026. As of October 29, 4,852 confirmed cases of this serious and contagious disease had been counted in the country this year, already more than double the total for all of 2025.
Measles causes fever, respiratory symptoms and skin rashes. In some cases, it leads to more serious complications, such as pneumonia and inflammation of the brain that can cause severe aftereffects, or even death.
Several victims lived in counties known to be home to a large Amish population, whose vaccination rates are lower than those of the rest of the population.
Since spring, attention has focused on Pennsylvania, where the number of cases is the highest in the United States.
Among them, none were vaccinated against the disease; two babies were too young to be vaccinated.
Between 2020 and 2024, the number of cases did not exceed a few dozen or hundreds. The disease had been declared eliminated in 2000 thanks to vaccination.
Nearly 5,000 cases of measles, including several fatal ones, have been confirmed in the United States since the beginning of 2026, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the state has recorded 1,467 measles cases this year, of which at least 77 involve pregnant women, who are particularly at risk.