Pennsylvania Reports Fourth Measles Death

Pennsylvania has confirmed its fourth measles-related death this year, marking the highest number of such fatalities in the United States since 1992. The latest victim is an unvaccinated 18-year-old from Mifflin County who died following a diagnosis of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), a rare and severe neurological complication associated with measles infection. This incident follows reports of two infant deaths in Lancaster County and the recent death of an unvaccinated woman in Jefferson County, bringing Pennsylvania's total confirmed fatalities to four since 1986 began tracking annual counts. State health officials attribute this surge to declining vaccination rates across 38 counties, which have now recorded 693 measles cases with over 100 reported within the last week alone.