CDC acknowledges measles death after Pennsylvania conflict

(Bloomberg) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed one measles-related death in the U.S., nearly a month after Pennsylvania first notified the agency of the deaths.

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

The dispute began after Pennsylvania notified the CDC of its first two measles-related deaths in August, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. he publicly questioned them, suggesting that Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro had fabricated the deaths for political gain. Shapiro accused Kennedy of sowing mistrust of vaccines.

When the CDC previously did not include measles deaths, it said it was working with state and territorial epidemiologists to develop a standard definition of measles deaths. Emily Hilliard, a spokeswoman 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 had received a report of a measles-related death, Hilliard said in a statement. “Through its standard process, NCHS verified that a death had occurred and that measles was listed as the underlying cause of death.”

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

In response, an HHS spokesman said the agency “will not submit to political blackmail” over critical public health assistance.

A spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Health said in a Sept. 22 statement that discussions between the CDC and the state about federal assistance are continuing.

The U.S. reported 3,471 measles cases this year through Sept. 17, the worst outbreak since the early 1990s.

Pennsylvania had not had a measles-related death in 35 years before this summer. This year’s epidemic in the state has now reached 835 cases and 164 people have been hospitalized. Less than 1% of confirmed cases occur in people who have been fully vaccinated against measles.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health emphasized that complete vaccination with a two-dose measles, mumps and rubella vaccine 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 become infected. This can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling and death.

Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order recommending that the MMR vaccine be split into three doses, which would mean parents would have to make more trips to the doctor to get the same protection against the disease for their young children, potentially increasing the risk that some of them won’t get vaccinated.

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

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