Pennsylvania Reports 1,286 Measles Cases and Five Deaths as Shapiro and Kennedy Dispute the Count

Pennsylvania is the center of the worst U.S. measles outbreak in 35 years, and the fight over it has become a political one days before the Nov. 3 governor's election.

The state Department of Health reported 1,286 total cases this year as of Oct. 27, along with five measles-associated deaths. Figures cited by the Associated Press put the 2026 total above 1,350, with more than a third in Lancaster County. Community leaders say every count is low, because many people with measles never see a doctor.

The virus was officially declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000.

Lancaster County at the center

Lancaster County, a growing county of about half a million people, is home to the largest Amish population in the country. The outbreak has hit the Amish and conservative Mennonites especially hard.

Vaccination rates among them vary widely, but they are generally lower than among the general public. The AP reports the gap comes more from culture and habit than from religious doctrine.

That is not a sealed-off population. "We have Plain patients coming to the city, we have patients in the city who don't vaccinate, who are going to school, going to other programs with other children," said Dr. Anne-Marie Derrico, chief medical officer at the nonprofit Union Community Care. Her group runs a mobile "Plain Healthy" outreach unit.

Dr. Diego Hijano of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital put it this way: "We are all interconnected."

The AP also reports that many Plain community members are showing new openness to vaccines. Cases have fallen from their September peak, but some doctors expect a rise as winter pushes people indoors. Most cases are mild. Measles can also cause pneumonia and encephalitis, and it can kill.

Who counts the dead

This summer, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced two measles-related deaths, both infants. His administration said they were the first such deaths in the state in 35 years.

The Trump administration publicly questioned that. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote the deaths may have been "fabricated by one of the Governor's hopeful staffers."

The evidence is mixed. Lancaster County's coroner said he concluded measles caused one infant's death. He disagreed with other medical professionals that it caused the other.

The CDC has confirmed only three measles-related deaths nationwide and has not said which states they occurred in. The state counts five in Pennsylvania alone: three in Lancaster County and two elsewhere.

Kennedy and Trump have argued that Shapiro should work more closely with Washington and request CDC aid. They also say he rushed to announce the deaths for political gain. The Shapiro administration says it has the resources and staff to handle the outbreak.

Shapiro has framed it as a parenting issue. "When the information we see coming from the federal government in some cases isn't driven by facts and by science, it makes it even more confusing for parents," he said at the news conference. "All we want to do as parents is what's right for our kids."

The faith-leader plan

A separate state effort is drawing objections. Shapiro created a Vaccine Education Workgroup by executive order in October 2025. Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen leads it, and it includes Shapiro's deputy chief of staff, doctors and local public health leaders.

Public records show its priorities include vaccine safety messaging, countering misinformation from the federal government, and building community trust.

Meeting minutes say "trusted local faith leaders were identified as potential messengers, though not always easily engaged" in Amish communities. They also say partnerships formed during the COVID-19 response should be "maintained and strengthened rather than allowed to fade as emergency funding ends." The minutes add that some congregations tracked vaccination numbers during COVID and saw them rise after faith leader advocacy.

Michael Geer, president of the Pennsylvania Family Council, objected in comments to The Daily Wire. "Churches are not an extension of the government's public-health apparatus, and pastors should never be treated as tools for advancing the policy objectives of the state," he said. He urged Pennsylvania to protect religious exemptions and "the freedom of families to make these decisions according to their conscience."

The Department of Health told The Daily Wire it has offered more than 230 community pop-up vaccine clinics and has "worked side-by-side with local faith and health care leaders to earn the trust of thousands of Pennsylvanians." Spokesperson Neil Ruhland said the work is accomplished "through trust and understanding — not fear mongering or pressuring anyone to go against their own beliefs."

Still, a government body talking about pastors as influencers on congregants' medical choices is a legitimate thing for a church-state advocate to question. That conversation touches both religious liberty and a parent's right to decide.

The race

Shapiro has directed state authorities to adopt vaccine guidance that differs from the Trump administration's overhaul of federal recommendations, and he has challenged the changes in court.

Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, his opponent, says she would promote vaccination among Pennsylvania families. She has said little else publicly on children's health policy, according to Spotlight PA, and her campaign answered some of its questions but not others.

Voters decide Nov. 3. The next test comes after that. Doctors in Lancaster County expect winter gatherings to push measles cases back up, and the disputed death tally will still be unresolved when they do.