Measles cases climb in Central Pa. as health officials urge vaccination

Measles cases are at a 35-year high in the United States and Pennsylvania, with most patients unvaccinated.

• Haley O'Brien/WITF
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  Haley O'Brien joined WITF in 2026. A native of Scranton, she enjoys exploring Pennsylvania's diverse communities. Haley previously worked at NPR/PBS stations in Northeast Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, and has won awards for video storytelling and beat reporting.

Medical professionals and state officials are urging people to get vaccinated as measles cases climb in Central Pennsylvania and across the United States. 

Pennsylvania’s measles dashboard reported 176 confirmed cases this year as of Tuesday, with 35 new cases in the last week. According to the state, none of the cases have occurred in people who are fully vaccinated.  

Dr. John Goldman, an infectious disease specialist at UPMC Central Pa., calls it “an outbreak of choice.” 

“The last time I’d seen a measles case prior to this year was 1992,” he said. “In doing this a little over 30 years, I’d seen two measles cases. In contrast, we’ve had 10 or 20 [cases] at UPMC Central in the last couple of months.” 

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that most commonly infects children. The disease was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000 due to vaccine development and widespread immunization.  

Typically, the first dose for measles is given to children around a year old. But the Pennsylvania Department of Health recommends an early dose of the vaccine for babies 6 to 11 months old who live in areas of outbreak. This will be given in addition to the traditional immunizations at 12 months old and around 4-6 years old. 

Pennsylvania school immunization rates for the 2025-26 school year show that 96.9% of students had received two or more doses of the measles vaccine (MMR).  

More than half of Pennsylvania’s cases are in Lancaster County, where the state’s interactive data tool shows vaccination rates below the state average, as low as 66.7%.  

Twenty cases have been reported in neighboring Lebanon and Chester counties each. Berks, York, Northumberland and Dauphin counties have fewer than 10 cases each.  

A child or adult who has not had the MMR vaccine can get both doses 28 days apart. 

“A single dose does provide significant protection against measles,” Goldman said. “And again, we have not seen anyone yet who has had measles, who’s gotten even a single dose of the vaccine.” 

Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health Debra Bogen announced ways the state is working to mitigate the spread in June. 

“The single most effective way to avoid contracting or spreading measles is to get fully vaccinated,” she said. “The Department of Health is working hand in hand with a host of community partners to ensure people across the state have access to accurate information and to vaccines close to home.” 

Nationally, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 2,000 cases nationwide as of July 30, the highest annual total in 35 years.  

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is known to criticize vaccines, is encouraging people to get the MMR vaccine. 

“Parents should get their children vaccinated for measles. A measles vaccine is effective, it stops measles in about 97% of the cases. People should get vaccinated,” he said during an interview with CNN Sunday. 

Kennedy said many of the children becoming infected missed routine vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“That age group that should have got the MMR when they were 18 months and didn’t get it, they’re the ones being infected,” he said. “The communities that are suffering from measles are almost all religious communities that just don’t vaccinate.”