{
  "id": 7679201,
  "title": "New measles deaths send U.S. fatalities to decades high",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/new-measles-deaths-send-u-s-fatalities-to-decades-high",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-16T01:45:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Japan Times",
    "slug": "japan-times",
    "url": "https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/16/world/science-health/us-measles-deaths-decades-high/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pennsylvania health officials have confirmed two more measles-related deaths, raising the state's total to four this year and pushing U.S. fatalities to a high not seen in decades. Both victims were unvaccinated, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The individuals resided in Jefferson and Mifflin Counties, respectively. The department declined to provide further details. The deaths mark a concerning resurgence of a disease the U.S. had largely eradicated. Pennsylvania had not recorded a measles-related fatality in 35 years prior to this summer; in the past few weeks, the state has reported four such deaths as its outbreak has ballooned to nearly 700 cases.",
  "summary": "The deaths are a grim milestone in the return of a disease that the U.S. once largely considered vanquished.",
  "key_points": [
    "Pennsylvania reports four measles deaths in 2023",
    "Victims were unvaccinated in Jefferson and Mifflin Counties",
    "Resurgence marks first U.S. deaths in decades"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The resurgence of measles in Pennsylvania, marked by four deaths in a few weeks, signals a concerning shift in the US fight against a disease that had been largely eradicated.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}