CDC Recognizes Measles Death After Pennsylvania Conflict

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed one measles-related death in the US, almost a month after Pennsylvania first reported deaths to the agency.

(Bloomberg) -- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed one measles-related death in the US, almost a month after Pennsylvania first reported deaths to the agency.

In an update of its dashboard for measles cases in 2026 on Wednesday, the CDC added one of the four fatalities Pennsylvania has reported so far this year, backing away from a feud with the state over what constitutes a death from measles. 

The dispute began after Pennsylvania notified the CDC about its first two measles-related deaths in August, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. publicly questioned them and suggested Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro had fabricated the deaths for political gain. Shapiro blamed Kennedy for sowing distrust in vaccines.

When the CDC had not previously included the measles deaths, it said it was working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to develop a standard definition for a measles death. Emily Hilliard, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said the CDC is still working on developing a standardized definition. 

The National Center for Health Statistics notified the Atlanta-based CDC that it received a report of a measles-related death, Hilliard said in a statement. “Through its standard process, NCHS verified that the death occurred and that measles was listed as the underlying cause of death.” 

On Sept. 16, Pennsylvania formally asked for CDC’s Epi-Aid, which provides rapid federal assistance during disease outbreaks, but said it would rescind the request if the agency could not “transparently and accurately communicate” information about the deaths.

In response, a spokesperson for HHS said that the agency would not “submit to political blackmail” over critical public health aid.

A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania health department said in a statement Sept. 22 that discussions between CDC and the state for federal help are ongoing.

The US has reported 3,471 measles cases so far this year through Sept. 17, the nation’s worst outbreak since the early 1990s. 

Pennsylvania hadn’t recorded a measles-related death in 35 years before this summer. The state’s outbreak this year has now hit 835 cases, with 164 people hospitalized. Less than 1% of the confirmed cases happened in people who had been fully vaccinated against measles.

Pennsylvania’s health department has emphasized that getting fully vaccinated with the two-dose measles, mumps and rubella shot is the best form of protection against the highly contagious virus. Nine out of 10 unvaccinated people who come into contact with the virus that causes measles will be infected. It can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, brain swelling and death.

Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order recommending that the MMR vaccine be split into three shots, which would mean parents would have to make more trips to the doctor to get the same protection against diseases for their young children, which could raise the risk that some would miss immunizations.

(Updates with latest measles numbers from Pennsylvania in the 10th paragraph.)