Pennsylvania health officials on Thursday announced a fifth measles-related death in the state, an unvaccinated resident of Lancaster County, which has become the nation’s measles hot spot.
It was the third death recorded in Lancaster County, the state Department of Health said. Jefferson and Mifflin Counties have each reported one fatality. Officials released no other information about the person, citing privacy.
The state’s official toll is well ahead of Washington’s. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed just two measles deaths nationwide and has given no details about them, though they presumably involved people in Pennsylvania. The state has been out in front of the federal count for weeks.
The outbreak itself is still growing. Forty new cases were recorded in the past two days, bringing the state total to 943. Of those, 176 patients have been hospitalized, about 19 percent, or roughly twice the national rate of 9 percent reported in C.D.C. data. Only four of the cases have occurred in vaccinated people.
The surge has also pushed Pennsylvanians to get vaccinated. More than 53,000 doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine were administered statewide in September, more than double the 25,000 of a typical month, the department said. More than 49,000 doses were given in August.
“People who have two documented doses of MMR do not need another. Adults who have only one dose, or who cannot find their vaccination records, should talk with a health care provider or pharmacist about getting vaccinated,” the department said.