Overview
- Federal officials removed two Lancaster County fatalities from the CDC’s online measles death count after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked the agency to re-evaluate whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths.
- The Pennsylvania Department of Health had reported two measles-associated deaths in late August and the state says it provided required epidemiological data, while Lancaster County’s coroner later said one infant died of measles and another died of a ruptured spleen.
- CDC staffers initially accepted the state’s characterization but the agency added a public note saying available information did not establish causation and it would review records before updating the national death total.
- Public-health experts say measles can contribute to rare deaths and that falling MMR vaccination rates have driven a large outbreak that has sickened hundreds in Lancaster County and pushed U.S. cases to multi-decade highs.
- Health leaders and observers warn the public dispute between Kennedy and Governor Josh Shapiro risks undermining trust, complicating data sharing, and hampering vaccination outreach and outbreak response.