Pennsylvania has recorded at least 676 measles cases this year, including 108 in one week
An unvaccinated 40-year-old woman died of respiratory failure linked to a probable measles infection
Measles can cause severe complications at any age, not only in children, county officials say
MONDAY, Sept. 14, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Measles keeps spreading in Pennsylvania, where at least 676 people have caught the highly contagious virus this year. Now officials are reviewing whether it caused the death of a 40-year-old woman.
The woman, from Jefferson County, died Saturday in what the county called its first measles-related death.
A preliminary death certificate lists her immediate cause of death as respiratory failure caused by "suspected measles," along with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, according to a copy reviewed by The Washington Post.
County Coroner Greg Furlong said he plans to change that wording to "probable," a step he told The Post he decided on after meeting with the woman's family. "Probable" signals stronger evidence tying measles to the death than "suspected." Final lab results are expected early this week.
The woman was not vaccinated and had many common measles symptoms, including fever, cough, rash and white spots inside her mouth, Furlong said.
She had spent time with a neighbor whose measles case was confirmed by lab testing. Her husband showed signs of measles but was never tested, Furlong said. She also had several long-term health problems and needed supplemental oxygen around the clock.
As of Sept. 11, at least 676 people in the state had contracted measles this year, including 108 new cases in the previous week, according to Pennsylvania Department of Health data.
The Pennsylvania outbreak is part of the larger U.S. outbreak, which includes 3,294 confirmed cases spread across 47 states so far this year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s more than 1,000 cases over the 2,289 reported in all of 2025.
"Many people associate measles with a childhood illness, but it can lead to severe complications in individuals of any age," Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Jason Stiver said in a statement.
The coroner's office is working with the state health department, which said it is conducting a thorough review and will share updates when they are available.
This would be the third measles-associated death reported in Pennsylvania this year. The state reported two others in Lancaster County last month, calling them the first such deaths there in 35 years.
The CDC has left those two deaths out of its weekly national measles death count, a departure from the agency's usual practice of including numbers reported by state health departments, The Post reports.
State officials count a death as measles-associated when the virus was present, even if it was not the immediate cause.
Pennsylvania shared that definition Sept. 10 with the CDC and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, the group that writes standard disease death definitions used nationwide.
More information
Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more information about measles symptoms and vaccination.
SOURCES: The Washington Post, Sept. 13, 2026; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sept. 11, 2026
People should check their records to make sure they and their children have had recommended doses of the measles vaccine. Measles spreads easily and can cause serious complications at any age, not just in childhood.
