Pittsburgh’s kindergartners fall below the measles safety threshold, testing the city’s vaccine legacy

Pittsburgh helped pioneer the polio vaccine. Now, as measles cases rise across Pennsylvania, an epidemiologist explains the disease and the vaccine that prevents it.

By: Rebecca Smullin Dawson, Allegheny College, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: September 15, 2026

Words: 1,117

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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By Rebecca Smullin Dawson, Allegheny College

It takes a lot to knock football out of the headlines in Pittsburgh. But reports of measles cases, exposure alerts and calls for residents to double-check their vaccination status have dominated local news since August 2026.

My office at Allegheny College, where I am an epidemiologist, is within a few steps of a classroom dedicated to Dr. Thomas Francis. Francis coordinated the entire polio vaccine …

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