Share to ClassroomMeasles Kills Pennsylvania Teen, Fourth Death
An 18-year-old in Pennsylvania, in the United States, has died from measles. The teenager had not had the vaccine. Measles caused a rare and dangerous problem in the brain. This was the fourth measles death in the state this year. A few days before, a 40-year-old woman also died. She was not vaccinated either and caught measles from a relative who was also her neighbour. The other two people who died were babies. They were too young to get the vaccine.
This is the worst year for measles in the United States since 1992. Pennsylvania has had 693 cases in 2026, and the whole country has had more than 3,200. Measles spreads very easily through the air when people cough or sneeze. The MMR vaccine (a vaccine against measles and two other diseases) stops about 97% of cases. But fewer young children are getting it. Some experts say the government has confused people.
Pennsylvania's health leader said the state wants to stop the outbreak. An outbreak is when a disease spreads quickly in one area. The state wants to give people correct information and the vaccine. Many more people got the vaccine in August than usual. A doctor said there is no medicine for measles, so people must avoid contact with sick people.
