PA measles outbreak tops 1,000 cases, largest since disease was eliminated

Pennsylvania’s explosive measles outbreak is now the largest the US has seen since the highly infectious virus was declared eliminated in 2000. With well over 1,000 cases, it’s the largest on record since 1991.

宾夕法尼亚州爆发的麻疹疫情现已成为自2000年该高传染性病毒被宣布消除以来，美国所经历的最大规模疫情。病例数已远超1000例，是自1991年以来的最高纪录。

Pennsylvania’s health officials reported 1,078 measles cases in all of 2026 as of this afternoon. That includes 12 cases in January and March, with the remaining 1,066 cases since April, when the current outbreak began. The tally includes 145 cases recorded in the last seven days and 74 identified since the previous update on Monday.

截至今天下午，宾夕法尼亚州卫生官员报告称，2026年全年共记录了1078例麻疹病例。其中包括1月和3月的12例，其余1066例均发生在4月当前疫情开始之后。该统计数据包括过去七天内记录的145例，以及自周一上次更新以来确认的74例。

Health officials noted that 40 of the 74 cases added today were from more than two weeks ago and are just now being recorded. Among the cases, there have been 207 hospitalizations and five deaths—a newborn, a 6-week-old, an 18-year-old, a 20-year-old, and a 40-year-old. All of the deaths occurred during the current outbreak in people who were unvaccinated; the two infants were too young to have been vaccinated.

卫生官员指出，今天新增的74例病例中，有40例发生在两周多前，直到现在才被记录在案。在这些病例中，有207人住院治疗，5人死亡，死者分别为一名新生儿、一名6周大的婴儿、一名18岁青少年、一名20岁青年和一名40岁成年人。所有死亡病例均发生在当前疫情期间，且死者均未接种疫苗；两名婴儿因年龄太小而无法接种。

With slipping vaccination rates nationwide, measles outbreaks and cases have come roaring back in the past few years. A large outbreak in Texas that spanned January–August 2025 ended with 762 cases, while an outbreak in South Carolina ended in April with 997 cases, the previous record holder. Pennsylvania exceeds that handily with its 1,066 outbreak-linked cases as of today. With 34 new infections reported since Monday, the outbreak does not appear to be close to ending.

随着全国疫苗接种率的下滑，麻疹疫情和病例在过去几年中卷土重来。德克萨斯州在2025年1月至8月期间发生的大规模疫情最终导致762例病例，而南卡罗来纳州在4月结束的疫情曾以997例创下此前的纪录。宾夕法尼亚州截至今日与疫情相关的1066例病例已轻松超过了这一数字。自周一以来又报告了34例新感染病例，疫情似乎远未结束。

Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000 after decades-long vaccination efforts. Elimination is earned and maintained with vaccination rates that prevent continuous transmission of the virus during a 12-month period. In November, experts at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)—which acts as a regional office for the World Health Organization—will review data on whether the US has lost its measles elimination status. Experts widely expect the US has lost the status. Canada lost its elimination status in 2025.

经过数十年的疫苗接种努力，美国于2000年宣布消除了麻疹。消除状态的获得和维持依赖于能够防止病毒在12个月内持续传播的疫苗接种率。11月，作为世界卫生组织区域办事处的泛美卫生组织（PAHO）专家将审查相关数据，以评估美国是否已失去麻疹消除状态。专家普遍预计美国已经失去了这一地位。加拿大已于2025年失去了其消除状态。

The last measles outbreak that was larger than the current one in Pennsylvania was an outbreak in New York, which spanned 1990–1991 and infected more than 4,500 in all. Earlier this week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a State Disaster Emergency over rising measles cases there. There have been at least 108 cases in the state. The emergency declaration expands the pool of healthcare workers who can provide measles vaccinations, newly including paramedics, advanced EMS providers, pharmacists, and midwives. It also allows nurses, in addition to physicians, to order measles tests.

上一次规模超过宾夕法尼亚州当前疫情的麻疹爆发发生在纽约，时间跨度为1990年至1991年，总感染人数超过4500人。本周早些时候，纽约州州长凯西·霍楚尔（Kathy Hochul）因当地麻疹病例激增宣布进入州灾难紧急状态。该州目前至少已有108例病例。紧急状态声明扩大了可提供麻疹疫苗接种的医护人员范围，新纳入了护理人员、高级急救人员、药剂师和助产士。此外，该声明还允许护士与医生一样开具麻疹检测单。

“No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease,” Hochul said in a statement. “That is why I have taken steps to increase the number of health professionals who can vaccinate and test.”

“任何人都不应因一种可通过疫苗预防的疾病而病重或死亡，”霍楚尔在一份声明中表示，“这就是我采取措施增加能够进行疫苗接种和检测的医疗专业人员数量的原因。”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting 3,887 measles cases nationwide for the year. That is the highest tally in the US since 1991, when there were 9,643 cases. Experts are becoming yet more anxious as measles outbreaks stretch into the fall; in the pre-vaccine era, measles was typically a virus of the late winter and early spring. Experts are concerned that spread could accelerate further in favorable conditions.

美国疾病控制与预防中心报告称，今年全国共报告3887例麻疹病例。这是自1991年（当年有9643例）以来的最高纪录。随着麻疹疫情持续到秋季，专家们愈发感到焦虑；在疫苗普及前，麻疹通常是冬末春初的病毒。专家担心，在有利条件下，病毒传播可能会进一步加速。