PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Two people in Lancaster County have died from measles — the first people to die from the highly contagious virus in the U.S. in 35 years.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health said both people were unvaccinated.
The state has confirmed nearly 400 cases of the virus this year — 185 of them in Lancaster County, and 41 in Chester County.
At a news conference Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro said the health department has planned 40 pop-up vaccination clinics in an effort to curb the preventable disease.
“Nearly 20% of those cases have resulted in someone being hospitalized,” he pointed out. “It's important to note that every single one of those cases was someone who is not fully vaccinated.”
State Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen said because measles was largely eliminated, “people are not familiar with this disease and don’t fully understand the potential severity of the illness.”
She and Shapiro both expressed concern over vaccine skepticism spreading online.
“This misinformation is taking a real toll on a parent's job to protect their kids,” said Shapiro. We see it in the data right here in Pennsylvania, the rate at which families are now citing philosophical or religious exemptions from getting vaccines. That has tripled in the last 10 years.”
State records indicated only 10 of the more than 500 schools in Lancaster are known to be fully vaccinated. Many of those are small schools with 40 or fewer students.
According to Bogen, the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the best way to protect yourself. The Department of Health said it administered more than 4,100 MMR vaccinations at 91 pop-up clinics so far this year.
The CDC said there have been more than 2,700 cases nationwide so far this year, the highest count since 1991. U.S. officials declared measles eliminated in 2000, but more cases have been recorded in the past 18 months than there have been in the previous 25 years combined.
Pennsylvania Department of Health says both people were unvaccinated
Pennsylvania Department of Health says both people were unvaccinated
