Pennsylvania woman’s apparent measles death shows risks to people with health problems

A 40-year-old Pennsylvania woman who died Saturday morning with what appears to be measles-related complications also had ongoing lung problems, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, according to the coroner’s office that handled the case.

“She did have a pretty extensive medical history,” said Jason Stiver, chief deputy coroner and public relations officer for Jefferson County. “She was on oxygen 24/7.”

The woman, Stiver said, was pronounced dead in her home just before 8 a.m. Saturday. She hadn’t been vaccinated against measles.

State health officials are conducting tests to confirm the woman was indeed infected with measles, Stiver said. Those results are expected within the next day or so, but early signs suggest the results are likely to be positive.

The woman had symptoms of measles, including a fever and the telltale rash, Stiver said, and was living in a house with other people who had the same measles symptoms.

She also had direct contact with another family member in a different household who had been “laboratory tested and confirmed” to have measles, Stiver said.

It would be the third death in the state amid a surging outbreak of the virus. Two infants, according to the Lancaster…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health