Measles Is Winning

The two latest deaths in Pennsylvania make the United States’ measles crisis undeniable.

Jan Sonnenmair / Getty September 16, 2026, 10:01 AM ET Share Save Following America’s recent measles deaths, anti-vaccine activists have cast doubt on the virus as the culprit. They’ve pointed to a victim’s underlying health conditions or, as they did last year in Texas, blamed hospital error. But the two latest measles deaths in Pennsylvania—bringing the state’s total to four since mid-August—have made the United States’ measles crisis undeniable.