Officials with Pennsylvania's Department of Health are reporting two more measles-related deaths in the Commonwealth: one in Jefferson County and one in Mifflin County.
A Jefferson County coroner reported a measles-related death of a 40-year-old woman over the weekend, but DOH said they did not confirm the death was related to measles until Tuesday. According to a press release, state officials worked with both Jefferson and Mifflin County coroners to determine the deaths were not from an unrelated cause.
Mifflin County Coroner Andrea Alcalde said an 18 year old died from acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM,) which is a rare and severe neurological complication from measles.
State officials and coroners in both counties said no more information will be shared about those who died.
“My thoughts are with the two families who lost loved ones to this highly-contagious virus, as Pennsylvania faces the worst measles outbreak in more than three decades,” said Secretary of Health Debra Bogen in a press release. “We remain committed to working with our partners across Pennsylvania to stem this outbreak and prevent more deaths. That means ensuring people have the facts about measles and access to the MMR vaccine – which kept measles outbreaks at bay for decades.”
So far this year, DOH said it has confirmed 693 measles cases in 38 Pennsylvania counties.
