Two unvaccinated people in Pennsylvania have died of measles as US infections reach their highest level in 35 years, health officials confirmed. The deaths, in Lancaster County, highlight declining vaccination rates and growing vaccine hesitancy nationwide, prompting Pennsylvania's health secretary to warn that many people no longer understand how severe the disease can be after it was largely eliminated in the state for over three decades.

Pennsylvania has recorded 393 measles cases this year, while the US as a whole has seen 2,777 confirmed cases in 2026, already surpassing last year's total of 2,289. Only 85% of kindergarten-age children in Lancaster County are vaccinated, below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity. The deaths follow a similar outbreak in Texas last year that killed two unvaccinated children, and come amid controversy over an executive order signed by President Trump recommending fewer childhood vaccinations and splitting the MMR jab into three separate shots, a move public health experts fear will increase confusion and cost. The US is at risk of losing its measles elimination status when a panel rules in November, having already lost that status in Canada last year.