Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Pennsylvania's measles outbreak has reached 1,317 cases in 43 counties with 251 hospitalized and five deaths. Families can check MMR records and learn the early signs now.
Pennsylvania's measles outbreak has grown to 1,317 confirmed cases this year, the state Department of Health said on Wednesday, October 21. Cases now reach 43 of the state's 67 counties. Washington County is the latest to be added. The department counted 31 new cases since its October 19 update. It also reported 251 hospitalizations and five confirmed measles-associated deaths. These figures are as of October 21 and are expected to keep climbing.
The outbreak took hold in late April in Lebanon County. By early summer it had spread into neighboring Lancaster County, and from there it moved across much of the state. ABC News described it as Pennsylvania's largest measles outbreak in decades. Only four cases have been in people who were vaccinated, less than 1 percent of the total, according to the health department.
What sets this outbreak apart is how hard it hits the people who catch it. Nearly one in five Pennsylvania patients has been hospitalized. Nationally, about 6 percent of measles cases needed a hospital stay as of July. Two of the people who died were infants too young to be vaccinated. Lancaster County's coroner found that measles caused one infant's death and contributed significantly to a second. Hospitalized patients have been treated for complications that include hepatitis and gastrointestinal problems.
Pennsylvania families are already responding. Providers statewide gave more than 56,000 MMR doses in September and more than 39,000 in the first three weeks of October. A typical month runs about 25,000. Health department nurses have held 223 pop-up clinics since late April, with dozens more planned.
Measles spreads through the air and can linger in a room after a sick person leaves, so the best protection is in place before an exposure. Start by confirming two MMR doses on record for everyone in your household. Two doses are about 97 percent effective, the department says. If records are missing or an adult has only one dose, a doctor or pharmacist can sort it out quickly. Pennsylvania now recommends an early dose for infants 6 to 11 months old who live in or travel to counties with sustained spread. That early dose does not replace the two routine doses. The 2026 measles outbreak has played out county by county, which is why your local numbers matter more than the national total.
Learn the early signs so you can act fast. Measles starts with fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. A rash follows, beginning on the head and spreading down the body. Symptoms show up 7 to 21 days after exposure. A person is contagious from four days before the rash appears to four days after. If someone in your home has symptoms or a possible exposure, call your health care provider before you go in so the office can protect other patients. Pennsylvania residents can also call the state hotline at 877-PA-HEALTH. Knowing the outbreak versus epidemic difference helps you read these updates for what they actually say. Families who followed last year's surge will find the same core steps in measles and your family.
As of October 21, the outbreak is still adding cases every week, and officials have not said it is slowing. Check your family's vaccination records this week, and check your destination county's case count before holiday travel. Be Prepared Not Scared!
