By Kunal Das and Kamal Choudhury
Nov 13 (Reuters) - Health officials in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin reported a measles-associated death each on Friday as the worst outbreak in decades spreads across the US.
Pennsylvania's seventh measles-linked death this year involved an unvaccinated Montour County resident, the state health department said. The state has recorded 1,542 cases in 46 counties as of Friday, including 305 hospitalizations.
Separately, Wisconsin health officials reported a pediatric measles-associated
death, the second linked to the state’s outbreak. Officials withheld further details to protect the privacy of the family.
"The bottom line is that measles virus will readily spread in communities with low measles vaccine coverage," said William Moss, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Pennsylvania's previous six deaths involved three Lancaster County residents, two from Jefferson County and one from Mifflin County. Bucks County was added to the list of counties with confirmed cases.
New York state also reported its first measles-associated death in more than 30 years earlier this month, involving a child.
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed six measles-related deaths nationwide this year, twice the 2025 toll, without identifying the states involved.
A discrepancy between state and federal death tallies arose after the CDC, under US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., began using National Center for Health Statistics mortality data instead of state figures.
US measles cases have surpassed 5,000 this year for the first time since 1991, CDC data showed.
“Secretary Kennedy and CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz continue to recommend the MMR vaccine as the most effective way to prevent measles infection," a US Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said.
An expert panel convened by the Pan American Health Organization is expected to determine in the coming days whether the US will lose its measles elimination status.
(Reporting by Kamal Choudhury and Kunal Das in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Ananda and Sahal Muhammed)
