2 Dead From Measles Outbreak in Pennsylvania, the State’s First Deaths of the Virus in 35 Years

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cynthia Goldsmith/AP photo)

Two people who were not vaccinated for measles died of the disease in Pennsylvania, which had not recorded a single death from the virus in 35 years.

The names of the dead were not released, but the Pennsylvania Department of Health officials said the deaths were recorded in Lancaster County.

Health officials urged anyone who is not vaccinated to change that as soon as possible, asserting that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe.

“Because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, people are not familiar with this disease and don’t fully understand the potential severity of the illness,” Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen said in a statement. “We want to ensure every Pennsylvanian has the information they need to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities. As a physician, I want to make sure that people understand that the MMR vaccine is safe and provides the best protection we have against measles.”

Measles cases have skyrocketed across the country in President Donald Trump’s second term after he appointed Robert Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, as Health and Human Services director.

In a stunning exchange with CBS News’s Margaret Brennan over the weekend, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who’s running to become Florida’s next governor, blamed “rampant illegal immigration” rather than a lack of immunized children for the measles outbreak in the sunshine state.

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