Health department reports 7th measles-associated death statewide

The Pennsylvania Department of Health attributed another death to the state’s ongoing measles outbreak, this time in Montour County. It’s the seventh measles-associated death in the state. 

Though overall cases appear to have slowed, more than 1,542 people have been infected across 46 counties. Of those, just five people were vaccinated. 

Health officials emphasized that vaccination “remains the best protection against the measles virus,” in a Friday release, noting it is 97% effective at preventing measles for life after two doses. 

DOH shared that the individual who died in Montour County was unvaccinated, but said state laws limited the department from sharing any more identifiable information. 

To qualify as a measles-associated death, the individual must die within 30 days after showing symptoms, have a positive laboratory test and not be attributable to an unrelated cause (such as a car accident). The agency also considers whether the person had been exposed prior to death or had supporting medical records. 

Another death in Franklin County reported last month, which the county coroner said could be associated, doesn’t meet the department’s criteria. 

The heart of the state’s ongoing outbreak, the worst in three decades, is in Lancaster County, where three have died and more than 500 people have been infected. 

On Thursday, state Secretary of Health Debra Bogen hosted a roundtable in Lancaster with local public officials, highlighting efforts to increase vaccination rates.

“State health data illustrate only part of the picture when it comes to Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak,” said Bogen in a release. “To fine-tune our approach, we are having deliberate discussions and listening to the people doing this work on the ground in Lancaster County … My team and I are committed to this all-hands-on-deck approach, working around the clock, so we can bring this outbreak to an end.”

Roughly 300 DOH staff members and community members are responding to the outbreak, administering more than 7,000 measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines at 244 pop-up clinics across the commonwealth since late April. 

The agency said private providers typically administer 25,000 MMR doses per month, but reported administering more than 56,000 and 61,000 doses in September and October, respectively. 

So far, providers reported administering 19,000 doses this month.

Measles is highly contagious and can be dangerous for the youngest Pennsylvanians, and DOH now recommends “an additional early zero dose,” for infants between six months and 12 months living in counties with sustained community transmission. 

People who believe they were exposed to measles, and are experiencing symptoms, should contact their health care provider or call DOH’s toll-free hotline at 877-PA-HEALTH (877-724-3258).