A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Two more people have died in Pennsylvania's measles outbreak. There have been four measles-related deaths there. Here's Sydney Roach from member station WPSU in State College.
SYDNEY ROACH, BYLINE: The state Department of Health says both people who died were not vaccinated against measles. The deaths include a 40-year-old woman with an active infection and an 18-year-old who had a rare neurological complication from measles. So far this year, there are 731 measles cases reported throughout Pennsylvania, making it one of the biggest outbreaks in the U.S., and the numbers are still going up. Dr. Debra Bogen is Pennsylvania's health secretary. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, she said they're continuing to host vaccine clinics in churches, community centers and homes.
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DEBRA BOGEN: The Department of Health and its many partners are acting with urgency, and we are acting with care.
ROACH: Dr. Stanley Martin is the director of infectious diseases at Geisinger. It's a health system with hospitals and clinics throughout Pennsylvania. Martin says many vulnerable people used to be protected by herd immunity.
STANLEY MARTIN: And now we see, with the vaccination rates dropping, chinks in the armor are occurring. And people who are susceptible are, of course, suffering the consequences.
ROACH: Martin says Geisinger is working with the state Health Department to provide vaccine clinics. Still, he says, vaccine misinformation is a major hurdle. This week, Governor Josh Shapiro said vaccine skepticism and misinformation coming from the Trump administration is making the situation worse.
In late August, the state announced its first two measles-associated deaths. At the time, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. questioned whether the deaths actually happened. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn't list any deaths for 2026 on its website. The agency told NPR it's in touch with state officials about the deaths and has offered to provide on-the-ground help with the outbreak. Speaking last night on CNN's "The Source," Shapiro called on the CDC to update their public dashboard before Pennsylvania accepts federal help.
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JOSH SHAPIRO: I'm not going to accept that until RFK does what is right and stops reaching down into his administration and directing the CDC staff not to acknowledge the pain and suffering of these four families in Pennsylvania.
ROACH: Shapiro says county coroners independently confirmed each of the four measles-associated deaths. Two were infants in Lancaster County.
For NPR News, I'm Sydney Roach in State College, Pennsylvania. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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