The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed two additional measles-associated deaths on Tuesday, bringing the state's confirmed total this year to four and U.S. fatalities to the highest level in decades, according to Bloomberg. Both people were unvaccinated, the department said in a statement.
Pennsylvania Confirms Two More Measles Deaths, Bringing State Total to Four
The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed two additional measles-associated deaths on Tuesday, bringing the state's confirmed total this year to four and U.S. fatalities to the highest level in decades, according to Bloomberg. Both people were unvaccinated, the department said in a statement.
One of the two people lived in Jefferson County and the other lived in Mifflin County, the department said. It said additional identifying details would not be released.
Before this summer, Pennsylvania had not recorded a measles-related death in 35 years, according to the report. The state has now reported four in a matter of weeks.
The state's outbreak has grown to nearly 700 cases, the report said.
The report described the deaths as a milestone in the return of a disease the United States had once largely considered vanquished.
- The source does not state the ages of the two people who died, nor the dates on which they died.
- The source does not state which agency or data set supports the national figure that U.S. fatalities are at the highest level in decades, or what the previous tally was.
- The source does not state how many of Pennsylvania's nearly 700 cases are in Jefferson County or Mifflin County.
- The source does not state whether the cases are linked to a common exposure or setting.
- The source does not identify the officials who confirmed the deaths beyond the department statement.
Read the original at The Japan Times