18-year-old dies of measles in PA from severe neurological complication
Teen developed acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, a known measles complication.
A fourth measles-related death has been confirmed by Pennsylvania's state health department. The victim was an unvaccinated 18-year-old from Mifflin County. The state has also confirmed the death of a 40-year-old unvaccinated woman from Jefferson County, as previously reported. The two earlier deaths in Lancaster County were both infants - a newborn and a 6-week-old girl, too young to receive vaccinations.
The Mifflin County coroner attributed the 18-year-old's death to acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), a rare but severe measles complication. ADEM is an autoimmune disorder resulting from inflammation that damages nerve cell coverings in the brain and spinal cord. Though measles-triggered ADEM was common before widespread vaccination, other viral infections can also cause it.
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