Pennsylvania Department of Health

Pennsylvania's Child Death Review program received $242,000, a fraction of the $2.5 million requested by Governor Josh Shapiro, leading to struggles in meeting state mandates. Advocates, including Cathleen Palm of the Center for Children’s Justice, criticize the funding as insufficient, highlighting challenges in county teams' capacity to review child deaths effectively.

Pennsylvania's Department of Health launched a new measles tracking dashboard showing over 100 cases this year, primarily clustered in southeastern Pennsylvania, particularly Lancaster County. The dashboard provides case details and vaccination data, while the DOH promotes free MMR vaccinations and pop-up clinics to combat the outbreak.

An intestinal parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis, is causing 'explosive' diarrhea outbreaks in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with 145 reported cases between May 1 and June 16. Public health officials note clusters in multiple states, including Michigan (1,200+ cases as of July 9) and Ohio (177 cases as of July 2). The CDC reports symptoms like watery diarrhea, cramps, and fatigue, though no deaths have been recorded this year.

Pennsylvania has confirmed 84 measles cases this year, with 72 linked to an outbreak in Lebanon and Lancaster counties since late April. Health officials are prioritizing vaccination and contact tracing to contain the spread, particularly among unvaccinated individuals. Complications from the disease, including hospitalizations for organ dysfunction and infections, have been reported.

Two wastewater samples from Delaware County's DELCORA Western Regional Treatment Plant tested positive for measles, but no confirmed cases have been identified. The plant serves about 500,000 people and participates in Stanford University's WasterwaterSCAN project. The first detection was on June 9, with a second on June 11, and health departments are monitoring the situation.