US measles cases hit 3,134 as leaders dispute death toll | Today’s news

(Bloomberg) — The U.S. has confirmed 3,134 cases of measles so far this year, stemming from a growing outbreak in Pennsylvania that has been linked to two deaths that have sparked a spat between the governor and the state’s top health official.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 231 new cases in the week ending September 3. The nation is already at its highest levels since 1991, the last year with more cases that occurred before the disease was formally eliminated.

Pennsylvania had 577 infections and 98 hospitalizations as of Friday, the state Department of Health said. Most of the infections are concentrated in Lancaster County.

Last month, the state reported two measles-related deaths, the first in the U.S. this year. On August 28, the CDC delayed its regular weekly update on case data. The agency’s website was then changed to say it was investigating the death — an unprecedented change ordered by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Reuters reported. The CDC update released Friday still did not include the two deaths.

The CDC said Friday it is working with state and territorial epidemiologists to standardize the classification of measles deaths. The CDC works with the organization to develop case definitions for infectious diseases, but the agency has not updated its measles case definition since 2013.

It’s unusual to reevaluate reporting criteria unless there’s a new lab test or a better understanding of the disease, said Jennifer Horney, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Delaware.

“There doesn’t seem to be any real science-based reason to change the case definition,” she said. “Going back to these established criteria opens up the potential that there is even less trust in public health and the data that public health officials provide.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro accused Kennedy of instilling a mistrust of vaccines that has led to a decline in measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations.

Kennedy — a longtime vaccine critic who touted the exposed links between the shots and autism — responded by saying the drop in MMR rates occurred before he took office as the nation’s top health official. He also provided false information about the shot and incorrectly stated that it contained fetal tissue.

The social media outcry continued throughout the week – creating confusion over the two deaths and raising questions about whether they were caused by a virus. Kennedy argued that the deaths could have been “made up” or caused by something other than measles.

But Pennsylvania Health Secretary Debra Bogen pushed back on Kennedy’s claim. “I have thoroughly reviewed the case investigation information and unfortunately can confirm that there have been two recent measles-related deaths in Lancaster County,” she said on social media.

The Lancaster County coroner told local news outlet WGAL that one of the deaths was a child who died of a ruptured spleen and tested positive for measles. Pediatricians generally recommend that children receive their first dose of the MMR vaccine at 12 months of age.

During an outbreak in Texas in 2025, in which two unvaccinated children died, Kennedy offered unproven drugs, including vitamin A and cod liver oil, to limit infections.

Vaccination policy under Kennedy and President Donald Trump has been altered in the past year. Last month, Trump signed an executive order recommending that the combined MMR vaccine be split into three doses, which would be costly and complicated for manufacturers and require more clinic visits.

The CDC says 94% of those with confirmed cases of measles this year are either unvaccinated or have unknown vaccine status.

MMR is one of the most effective vaccinations, preventing 97% of infections after two doses.

(Update with data from Pennsylvania, CDC move to update how measles deaths are classified, and comment from third paragraph.)

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