Two people have died in Pennsylvania from the measles. File Photo by Annie Rice/EPA-EFE
Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Two people who were not vaccinated against measles died in Pennsylvania after contracting the disease, the state's health department reported.
They are the first deaths from measles in the state in the last 35 years and the first deaths reported this year in the United States.
"My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss," Dr. Debra Bogen, the Pennsylvania secretary of health, said in a statement. "Because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, people are not familiar with this disease and don't fully understand the potential severity of the illness."
Both of the deaths were reported in Lancaster County.
