PHILADELPHIA — Two unvaccinated Pennsylvania residents have died from measles , the first U.S. deaths this year related to the contagious virus.
Debra Bogen. David Margolius, director of Cleveland’s health department and a leader in a coalition of big city health departments. With 2,777 cases as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this year already has surpassed 2025’s measles count. Pennsylvania has counted nearly 400 measles cases this year, state officials said. The state has been promoting measles vaccinations as cases have risen, and about 35,000 people have been vaccinated, up from the usual pace of about 25,000 per month, officials said.
“Because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, people are not familiar with this disease and don’t fully understand the potential severity of the illness.
“My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss,” said state Health Secretary Dr. The measles surge has coincided with moves by President Donald Trump’s administration to scale back childhood vaccinations, based on concerns — unfounded, according to scientific studies — about vaccine safety. Decades of widespread vaccinations turned measles cases and deaths into a rarity, causing people to forget that the very contagious virus can be deadly, said Dr. He said that some Cleveland residents have expressed irritation with vaccine-promotion campaigns.
Trump earlier this month signed an executive order calling for revamped childhood vaccine recommendations . He also advocated separating the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into three different shots, and administering all childhood immunizations at separate appointments whenever possible.
