Pennsylvania is experiencing its largest measles outbreak in decades, with the total number of infections reaching 903 and four patients dead, infohub.kz reports.
Reuters, citing the Pennsylvania Department of Health, reports that 176 infected people required hospitalization. Lancaster County remains the hardest-hit area, with the highest number of cases recorded there.
Earlier this month, four unvaccinated measles patients died in the state. The cases sparked a public dispute between Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., with officials disagreeing over whether the virus was the direct cause of all those deaths.
Amid the disagreement, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced it is revising its criteria for counting measles deaths. The agency's official statistics currently list only one confirmed death, without specifying a state. According to the CDC, as of September 24, 3,659 measles cases have been recorded in the U.S. this year.
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that causes high fever, a characteristic rash and severe respiratory complications. The disease is effectively prevented by routine childhood vaccination — the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Two doses of the vaccine provide 97% protection against the virus.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that Bangladesh is experiencing its largest measles outbreak, with nearly 999 measles-related deaths recorded in the country since March of this year.