PENNSYLVANIA ALERTS ON CONGENITAL MEASLES — FIRST U.S. CASE IN DECADES...

Pennsylvania reported 1,286 measles cases across 42 counties this year, including 53 cases in pregnant women and at least one confirmed death of a newborn with congenital measles—a condition American doctors haven't routinely encountered in decades. The virus poses severe risks during pregnancy, including miscarriage and stillbirth, and infected newborns face both immediate threats like pneumonia and long-term complications including immune damage and a rare fatal brain disorder that can emerge years later. The state health department's alert reflects a stark reality: as vaccination rates slip nationwide, pockets of under-immunized communities are allowing measles to spread rapidly, catching many physicians unprepared to manage pregnancies and newborns affected by a disease they may never have seen in practice.