Pennsylvania reports first 2 measles deaths in the U.S. this year, both people unvaccinated

Two unvaccinated Pennsylvania residents have died from measles, the first U.S. deaths this year from the highly contagious virus. State health officials announced the deaths Tuesday without releasing further details, only that the individuals lived in Lancaster County, west of Philadelphia. Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen expressed sympathy and noted that measles had been largely eliminated in the state for over three decades, leaving people unfamiliar with the disease's severity.

The U.S. has now seen five measles deaths in the last two years, surpassing the combined total from the previous three decades. This year's outbreak is the worst since 1991, with 2,777 cases as of Thursday according to the CDC, already exceeding last year's count. In November, international health officials will decide whether the U.S. and Mexico have lost their measles-free status. The U.S. had eliminated local measles transmission in 2000, but vaccination coverage has since fallen below the 95% threshold needed to prevent outbreaks.

The surge has coincided with the Trump administration's efforts to scale back childhood vaccinations, based on scientifically unfounded concerns about vaccine safety. President Trump signed an executive order calling for revamped vaccine recommendations and has advocated splitting the MMR vaccine into three separate shots and spacing out all childhood immunizations. Doctors worry that Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are fueling confusion and hesitancy. In a Tuesday briefing, Gov. Josh Shapiro said he declined Kennedy's offer of federal assistance, bluntly telling him that the administration's actions and rhetoric are hurting communities, especially in Pennsylvania. Shapiro emphasized the real-life consequences of scaring parents instead of relying on medical professionals. Federal health officials did not comment on the deaths or Shapiro's account.