Pennsylvania and Wisconsin latest measles reports may jeopardize the country’s elimination status.
Published On ۱۴ Nov ۲۰۲۶
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have announced one additional measles-associated death in each state, marking ۱۰ total deaths in the United States linked to the disease this year.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported an infant’s death on Friday, while the Pennsylvania Department of Health said that its latest death was an unvaccinated patient who had tested positive for measles.
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Pennsylvania has logged seven measles-associated deaths, while Wisconsin has reported two. On November ۲, New York state said a child had died in the state’s first recorded measles death in more than ۳۰ years.
More than ۵,۴۰۰ confirmed measles cases have been recorded in the US to date, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Johns Hopkins University International Vaccine Access Center tracker.
The number of confirmed cases as of November ۲۰۲۶ is more than double the ۲,۲۸۹ confirmed cases reported in ۲۰۲۵.
The CDC recorded six measles-related deaths, according to figures on its website. The newly reported data is twice the deaths the agency recorded in ۲۰۲۵.
Dispute over death toll
The CDC’s national death toll is lower than the number of measles-related deaths reported by state officials.
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr asked CDC director Erica Schwartz not to count the deaths in the official tally, claiming there was no evidence they were measles-associated.
The federal count of measles reports has been at the centre of a dispute between Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Kennedy over how measles deaths are classified.
Pennsylvania, the state hardest hit by the outbreak, reports “measles-associated” deaths after a person with confirmed measles dies within ۳۰ days of developing symptoms, unless the death resulted from an unrelated event.
The CDC has said it is working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to establish a standardised definition for measles deaths.
Infectious disease experts warn that the dispute over how to classify the deaths puts the CDC at odds with a longstanding approach to tracking the consequences of measles.
Epidemiologists have told Al Jazeera that tracking “measles-associated” deaths has long been a standard used by the World Health Organization and the CDC.
Measles elimination on the brink
Measles, a highly contagious virus, was officially declared eliminated in the US in ۲۰۰۰.
The outbreak comes as vaccination coverage among US kindergarteners has decreased from ۹۵.۲ percent during the ۲۰۱۹-۲۰۲۰ school year to ۹۲.۴ percent in the ۲۰۲۵-۲۰۲۶ school year.
Local and state health departments have ramped up vaccination efforts.
Measles is preventable through the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which offers approximately ۹۷ percent protection after two doses.
As of Friday, Pennsylvania’s Department of Health has logged ۱,۵۴۲ confirmed cases this year, while Wisconsin recorded ۶۵۱ cases.
As a result of the ongoing outbreak, the US could lose its measles elimination status this week. Elimination status requires that the country in question is able to squash instances of measles transmission for ۱۲ months or more.
