CDC Contesting PA Reported Measles Deaths

PENNSYLVANIA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is disputing two measles deaths reported by Pennsylvania and has excluded them from its weekly count of deaths.

In the CDC's most recent update on measles cases nationwide that was issued on its website Sunday, the death tally box has an asterisk rather than a number.

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"This week's measles outbreaks update will not include the two measles-associated deaths reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health on August 25 while CDC reviews additional information regarding the circumstances and causes of death," an explanation below the asterisk states.

"At this time, available information does not establish whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths or whether the individuals died from other causes while infected with measles. CDC will update the national count as additional information becomes available."

The state Department of Health reported on Aug. 25 that two unvaccinated people in Lancaster County had died after contracting measles. Those were the first deaths from measles nationwide in 2026 and the first measles fatalities in Pennsylvania in 35 years.

A day after the announcement, Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni said that he did not consider measles to be the cause of death in one of the two fatal cases, this one involving an infant.

Diamantoni told NBC News that the baby died shortly after birth from an internal hemorrhage and traumatic rupture of the spleen. He said he found evidence of the measles virus in the infant's lung tissue.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. weighed in on the matter and in doing so took a shot at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who appeared with state Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen at the news conference announcing the deaths.

"Governor Shapiro's unseemly rush to Lancaster County to convene a national press conference and his giddy delight in announcing two measles deaths was a morose commentary on the contemporary political dialogue," Kennedy wrote on X.

"The announcement appears to have been premature, and the deaths may even have been altogether fabricated by one of the governor's hopeful staffers. The Lancaster County coroner says that it has no record of any measles deaths. State law requires that all measles deaths be reported to the coroner."

Bogen, said the health department was confident that the infant's death was "measles-associated," a term that means there was laboratory or epidemiologic evidence of a measles infection.

"As a pediatrician with more than 30 years of caring for children, I have thoroughly reviewed the case investigation information and sadly can confirm that there were two recent measles-associated deaths in Lancaster County," Bogen said in a statement.

The health department still lists two measles-associated deaths on its measles dashboard. Overall, there have been 497 confirmed cases of the virus in Pennsylvania this year.

According to the CDC, as of Aug. 30, there were 2,903 confirmed cases of measles confirmed in the United States in 2026.