Pennsylvania’s Department of Health announced on Friday that 55 additional measles cases have been identified since Wednesday, as authorities continue their struggle to curb a widespread outbreak affecting dozens of counties across the state.
According to a news release from the department, the total number of confirmed cases in Pennsylvania has reached 890 this year, spanning 39 counties. The surge in infections has led to 173 hospitalizations and four measles-related deaths.
Officials highlighted that fewer than 1% of the individuals infected with the virus had received the measles vaccine, underscoring the significant role that low vaccination rates are playing in the outbreak’s expansion.
Homeschooling my kids now. Just want to keep them safe from this mess.
Are we tracking the new variants? The spread across 39 counties suggests high transmissibility.
Four deaths? I thought measles was mild. This outbreak seems much more dangerous than usual.
The vaccine data is not surprising at all. Communities with low uptake suffer the most.
This is terrifying. 890 cases in one state? We need to take this seriously.