How common are measles deaths in the United States as vaccination rates fall?

A fourth person with measles has died in Pennsylvania, the state announced Tuesday — marking the first time in decades the United States has recorded so many deaths in a single year. Measles deaths have been extremely rare in the United States because most people are protected by a highly effective vaccine. But as vaccination rates decline nationally and measles cases rise globally, experts say the death toll from measles may continue to grow in the United States this year and beyond. How common are measles deaths in the United States? The last year with at least four measles deaths in the United States was 1992. Until the recent resurgence in cases, the United States went several years without any measles deaths. Last year, there were three measles deaths, and before then, the last measles death was in 2015, when a Washington state woman died.