CDC removes two Pennsylvania measles deaths from national data in break with precedent

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has excluded two measles deaths reported by Pennsylvania health officials from its latest national surveillance data. The move represents an extraordinary departure from historical precedent, which typically designates state health departments as the primary arbiters of case and death classifications rather than the federal agency.

New CDC Director Erica Schwartz is credited with ordering the change less than a month into her tenure. The agency’s website now features an asterisked note stating that available information does not establish whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths, or whether the individuals died from other causes while infected with the virus.

The exclusion follows a public dispute between Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Kennedy, who has a history of challenging vaccine statistics, questioned the validity of the state’s reports and suggested without evidence that the deaths may have been fabricated. The CDC’s social media accounts initially claimed the Governor’s office had not provided relevant information, a statement contradicted by state officials who reported the deaths to CDC staff on 25 August and met with federal officials the following day.

The two deceased individuals, both unvaccinated and from Lancaster County, have been identified as a newborn and a child. Lancaster County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni claimed a pathologist determined the newborn died of a ruptured spleen, arguing that measles did not play a role. However, the baby was born infected with the virus, and the mother was severely ill at the time of birth.

Medical experts have noted that measles can cause a baby’s spleen to enlarge and thin, making rupture during birth possible. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, stated that the patients would not have died were it not for measles. He has called for the coroner to provide an alternative explanation for the rupture if it was not linked to the infection.

The CDC website was updated multiple times over the weekend, initially listing zero deaths, then two, before reverting to zero with the explanatory note. This fluctuation has created confusion regarding the official death count. Debra Houry, the CDC’s former chief medical officer, noted that delays in reporting data further erode trust and create confusion for the public and institutions relying on the figures.