Coroner Reports Pennsylvania's Sixth Measles-Associated Death

A 39-year-old woman in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, died after a recent measles diagnosis in what would be the sixth measles-associated death of Pennsylvania's 2026 outbreak, according to the county coroner's office, which said the case met the state's definition.¹

The Franklin County Coroner's Office investigated the death on October 10 and reported that the woman had several underlying conditions, including a past measles diagnosis for which she received treatment. The office withheld further details to protect the family's privacy and did not disclose her vaccination status. A spokesperson for the coroner's office told NBC News that the "primary cause of death was a probable acute cardiac event due to possible complications of the measles."²

State Reviews Case Under Its Measles Death Definition

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) said it was conducting a thorough review of the reported death. The department uses its own definition of a measles-associated death, modeled on national definitions for influenza- and respiratory syncytial virus–associated deaths, while the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) develops formal guidance. Under that definition, a confirmed measles-associated death occurs within 30 days of symptom onset in a person with clinical evidence of measles and a positive laboratory test and is not due to an unrelated cause. The DOH does not count a death if the person fully recovered from measles beforehand or if the death occurred more than 30 days after rash onset.³ The coroner's release did not state when the woman was diagnosed or whether she had recovered before she died.¹

Before the Franklin County report, the DOH had confirmed 5 measles-associated deaths this year: 2 infants and another resident in Lancaster County, an 18-year-old in Mifflin County, and a 40-year-old woman in Jefferson County.⁴

Outbreak Passes 1100 Cases as Vaccinations Climb

Pennsylvania had confirmed 1,136 measles cases and 219 hospitalizations as of DOH's October 9 data update.² As of the DOH's October 7 release, the outbreak, which began in late April, had reached 41 counties, and 4 cases, less than 1% of the total, had occurred in vaccinated individuals.⁵ Death from measles occurs in 1 to 3 of every 1,000 cases, according to the department.

Demand for vaccination has risen sharply. State health center staff administered more than 5700 measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine doses at 198 pop-up clinics in affected communities, and providers statewide administered more than 56,000 doses in September, compared with about 25,000 in a typical month.⁵

Nationally, the CDC reported 4080 confirmed measles cases in 2026 as of October 8, with 96% tied to outbreaks, but listed 2 deaths for the year, a figure the agency said is subject to change. The CDC also said it is working with CSTE on a standardized definition for measles deaths.⁶ The CDC has added deaths to its count after the National Center for Health Statistics verified measles as the underlying cause on the death certificate, an approach that has left the federal tally below Pennsylvania's.⁷ The agency also reported that MMR coverage among kindergartners fell from 95.2% in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4% in 2025-2026, leaving approximately 280,000 kindergartners at risk.⁶

Key Takeaway

Whether the Franklin County death enters the state's count now rests on the DOH's review, under a definition that excludes deaths after full recovery from measles or more than 30 days after rash onset. The gap between Pennsylvania's 5 confirmed deaths and CDC's national count of 2 reflects 2 different standards, a state surveillance definition and federal death certificate coding, and no national definition of a measles death will exist until CSTE finishes drafting one. In the meantime, demand for protection has followed the outbreak, with MMR doses given in Pennsylvania in September more than double a typical month.

References

1. Franklin County coroner reports measles-related death. News release. Franklin County, Pennsylvania. October 12, 2026. Accessed October 14, 2026. https://www.franklincountypa.gov/franklin-county-coroner-reports-measles-related-death/
2. Edwards E. A sixth measles-related death is reported in Pennsylvania. NBC News. October 12, 2026. Accessed October 14, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/sixth-measles-related-death-reported-pennsylvania-rcna603024
3. Measles. Pennsylvania Department of Health. Accessed October 14, 2026. https://www.pa.gov/agencies/health/diseases-conditions/infectious-disease/measles
4. Duckworth M. Measles cases hit 1K as Pennsylvania reports 5th 'measles-associated' death. WHP CBS 21. October 5, 2026. Accessed October 14, 2026. https://turnto10.com/news/nation-world/measles-cases-hit-1k-as-pennsylvania-reports-5th-measles-associated-death
5. Pennsylvania Department of Health provides statewide update on measles outbreak as cases reach 1,078 in 41 counties. News release. Pennsylvania Department of Health. October 7, 2026. Accessed October 14, 2026. https://www.pa.gov/agencies/health/newsroom/pa-department-of-health-provides-statewide-update-on-measles-out9
6. Measles cases and outbreaks. CDC. Updated October 9, 2026. Accessed October 14, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html
7. Sun LH. CDC adds second measles death to official tally. The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 29, 2026. Accessed October 14, 2026. https://www.inquirer.com/news/nation-world/cdc-pennsylvania-measles-death-tally-20260929.html