Pennsylvania reports 5th measles-related death in the state

Pennsylvania health officials reported on Wednesday the death of an unvaccinated resident of Lancaster County who tested positive for measles. It’s the fifth measles-associated death in the state since August.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health didn’t report when the individual died.

Two infants with measles in Lancaster County have died. An 18-year-old resident of Mifflin County and a 40-year-old woman in Jefferson County died from measles-associated deaths in mid-September, state health officials reported.

There have been 943 confirmed cases of measles across 39 counties in Pennsylvania since the outbreak began in the state this year. About 176 people have been hospitalized. At least six babies have been born with congenital measles in the state.

The Centers for Disease Control has recognized only two deaths associated with measles this year, although it hasn’t identified which states they occurred or when. According to the CDC, there have been 3,569 confirmed measles infections nationwide.