Pennsylvania measles cases pass 1K mark amid outbreak

Pennsylvania has now recorded more than 1,000 measles cases as of the state’s most recent update, exceeding the other state outbreaks by hundreds.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health’s updated dashboard Monday recorded 1,004 total measles cases in the state so far this year, including 198 hospitalizations and five deaths . About a third of cases have occurred in individuals under the age of 18.

This latest figure places Pennsylvania more than 300 cases beyond the state reporting the second-highest number of cases: South Carolina at 670, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Just last week, Pennsylvania surpassed 900 cases .

This year has marked the worst the U.S. has seen in terms of measles transmission in decades, with nearly 4,000 cases confirmed so far nationally.

While Pennsylvania currently ranks highest when it comes to absolute number of cases, Utah and South Carolina rank higher per capita at roughly 15 and 12 cases per 100,000 residents, respectively. By comparison, Pennsylvania is reporting between 7 and 8 cases per 100,000 residents.

Pennsylvania’s vaccine coverage is middling overall, with an estimated coverage of 92.7 percent among kindergarteners in the 2025-26 school year. West Virginia, Connecticut, Maine and New York reported near-universal coverage at around 98 to 99 percent among kindergarteners in the same academic year, while Idaho reported an extreme outlier of 75.2 percent coverage.

Roughly 8,800 measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine doses have been administered by Pennsylvania’s Department of Health staff so far this year. A full MMR vaccine schedule is two doses.