PENNSYLVANIA CONFIRMS SIXTH DEATH IN MEASLES OUTBREAK

Pennsylvania has recorded a sixth death linked to its measles outbreak, after the Franklin County Coroner's Office said a 39-year-old woman died on Monday. The coroner, James Conner, said the woman had "several underlying conditions, including a past diagnosis of measles with treatment," and that her case was the first measles-associated death in the county "for many years". The coroner's office told reporters the woman's primary cause of death was a probable acute cardiac event due to possible complications of measles, and confirmed she had not been vaccinated. The coroner's office said it would not release further details about the case to protect the privacy of the victim and her relatives. The Pennsylvania Department of Health said it was aware of the death and was "conducting a thorough review of the reported death", with Press Secretary Neil Ruhland saying the inquiry would apply the department's definition of a measles-associated death.

Pennsylvania's outbreak began in April west of Philadelphia, with state officials attributing it to low vaccination rates. The state's health department reported more than 1,100 confirmed cases, though the two reports differ slightly, with one citing 1,137 cases and 219 hospitalisations, and the other citing 1,136 cases and 157 new cases in the past week alone. The department defines a measles-associated death as one occurring within 30 days of symptom onset, with clinical evidence of infection, a positive lab test and no other unrelated cause. The state's first measles death in the outbreak was reported in late August.

The federal Centres for Disease Control and Prevention continues to list only two measles deaths in Pennsylvania, with no update to its federal count since late September, reflecting what the Guardian described as a dispute over methodology between health secretary Robert F Kennedy and Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro. The CDC's website recorded 4,080 confirmed measles infections across 42 outbreaks nationwide, which the Guardian reported as the highest figures in decades. New York governor Kathy Hochul declared an emergency earlier in October over rising cases in her state, while Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Utah have also reported significant increases. Pennsylvania's health department said it would update the public once its review of the Franklin County death is complete.