A fourth Steuben County resident tested positive for measles this week.
On Friday, the Steuben County Public Health department announced in a statement that it is investigating two new cases of the virus in unvaccinated residents.
The health department said one of the cases was identified as a contact of a previously reported case of measles. The two residents started showing symptoms on Aug. 23 and Aug. 24, respectively, but the health department said it was notified of the positive results late Thursday and Friday.
The new cases bring the total number of confirmed measles infections in the Southern Tier to six, with one case in Tioga County and another in Otsego County. All the residents who tested positive were unvaccinated.
Health officials have also reported cases in Seneca, Madison and Allegany counties.
In Pennsylvania, two people in Lancaster County died from measles on Aug. 25, amid a major outbreak that has infected more than 400 Pennsylvanians so far. The two deaths are the first fatalities in the country this year. Lancaster County is about 80 miles west of Philadelphia.
Steuben County Public Health officials said they are conducting contact tracing to track down any more potential cases.
The United States declared measles eliminated in 2000 but not eradicated. In recent years the country has seen a record number of cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 2026 saw the most measles cases nationwide since 1991, according to the Associated Press. In 2023, 59 cases of measles were reported. So far this year, the country has seen more than 2,000 cases of measles.
According to the CDC, “vaccine coverage of at least 95% with both doses of measles vaccine prevents outbreaks and protects communities.”
Statewide, about 80 percent of New Yorkers have been vaccinated against measles. Otsego, Steuben and Tioga counties have vaccination rates at 77.5 percent, 79.1 percent and 80.4 percent, respectively.
