CDC Director Removes 2 Pennsylvania Measles Deaths as Administration Seeks New Definition
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 11
CDC Director Removes 2 Pennsylvania Measles Deaths as Administration Seeks New Definition
2 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 11
Summary
Two Pennsylvania infant deaths tied to measles were removed from the CDC’s national dashboard by Director Erica Schwartz at Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s request.
The administration is now asking the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to craft a new definition for measles deaths, signaling future state reports could face federal challenges.
Pennsylvania’s handling of the deaths left room for that dispute: officials did not quickly explain “measles-related” versus “measles-associated” or reconcile conflicting statements from the Lancaster County coroner.
The episode unfolded during Pennsylvania’s largest measles outbreak in decades, with cases reported in 36 counties, hospitalizations, and multiple community and hospital exposures.
The broader lesson for state health officials is that death reports may now require extra corroboration—from labs, medical societies and peer states—before federal authorities will stand behind them.