A 40-year-old unvaccinated woman from Jefferson County in western Pennsylvania died on Saturday from complications associated with measles. Jefferson County Coroner Greg Furlong reported that the woman had underlying health conditions. This fatality marks the third measles-related death in the state's ongoing outbreak.
The death follows two previous fatalities involving infants who died from the disease in August. One infant was born with a genetic defect that made her vulnerable to infection, while the second infant died of a ruptured spleen. These three deaths have occurred in less than three weeks.
The resurgence comes as the United States experiences its worst outbreak of the highly contagious disease in 35 years, despite measles being declared eliminated in the country in 2000. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declined to include two other measles deaths in Pennsylvania in its 2026 outbreak count.