Franklin County Coroner Reports Sixth Measles-Linked Death in Pennsylvania, a 39-Year-Old Woman

Since the outbreak began in late April, Pennsylvania has logged 1,136 confirmed measles cases and 219 hospitalizations as of Friday, Oct. 9. On Monday, Oct. 12, a sixth death was reported: a 39-year-old woman in Franklin County.

What the coroner found

Franklin County Coroner Jordan Conner, a Republican, said his office investigated the death Saturday. The woman had "several underlying conditions, including a past diagnosis of measles with treatment," according to his news release. He described her measles diagnosis as "recent."

In a follow-up email, Conner wrote that the primary cause of death was "a probable acute cardiac event due to possible complications of the measles." The wording is hedged: "probable" and "possible." Cardiac complications from measles can occur but are uncommon.

Conner told The Philadelphia Inquirer the woman was not vaccinated. The coroner's office has not said what her other medical conditions were and will not release details that could identify her. Wesan News identified her as a Chambersburg resident.

The coroner's office said the death "meets the definition set forth by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for a measles-associated death." That definition requires death within 30 days of symptom onset, clinical evidence of infection with a positive lab test, and no unrelated cause such as a car crash.

State review is pending

The state health department said Monday it is aware of the announcement and is "conducting a thorough review." It plans to update the public when that finishes. Until then, the department's own confirmed count remains five.

Those five are all unvaccinated people with confirmed infections. They include two infants from Amish families in Lancaster County, an 18-year-old in Mifflin County who died of a serious neurological complication, a 40-year-old woman in Jefferson County with severe respiratory conditions, and a Lancaster County resident the state reported Sept. 30.

The state has released almost nothing else about those deaths, citing privacy law. Most of the detail has come from families and local officials.

A count under dispute

State and federal officials disagree on how to count these deaths. The CDC has recognized only two measles-associated deaths nationwide this year, according to its website, which does not say where they occurred. Pennsylvania is the only state to have reported fatal cases in 2026.

A bigger dispute is over how many people are actually sick. Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician and director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said: "I think we're probably closer to 6,000 cases. They are vastly underestimating the number of cases. It's much worse."

Offit's reasoning rests on death rates. Historically measles kills 1 to 2 of every 1,000 people infected, and the state health department puts the range at 1 to 3 per 1,000. Six deaths against 1,136 confirmed cases works out to roughly 5 per 1,000. That is higher than either range, though six deaths is a small sample and the sixth is not yet confirmed by the state. The health department has not responded to Offit's estimate.

The outbreak's size and pace

On Oct. 1, the state reported 943 cases across 39 counties. The count has since risen by roughly 190. Of the 1,136 total, 157 were reported in the last seven days. Two-thirds were diagnosed in adults.

Lancaster County has accounted for the vast majority of cases. Franklin County, on the Maryland border, has seen just seven cases this year.

The state says less than 1 percent of fully vaccinated people have gotten measles in this outbreak. Four of the first 943 patients had been vaccinated. The health department says two MMR doses provide 97 percent lifetime protection.

Vaccination demand has jumped. Pennsylvania providers normally give about 25,000 MMR doses a month. That rose to 49,000 in August and passed 53,000 in September. State nurses have given more than 8,500 doses this year, including more than 5,500 at 180 clinics in affected communities.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency last week over the outbreak in her state and in Pennsylvania. New York has more than 100 cases.

The state's finding on the Franklin County woman is the next concrete step. If the health department confirms it, Pennsylvania's tally becomes six, and the gap with the CDC's count of two widens.