US measles cases reach 35-year high as death tally remains disputed
The CDC reports 3,659 confirmed cases this year and two measles-related deaths, while Pennsylvania counts four deaths and Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. says one was caused by measles.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 3,659 confirmed measles cases this year, the highest total in 35 years. Its national tally records two measles-related deaths, but the agency has not identified the states where they occurred.
Pennsylvania has reported more than 900 cases and four deaths it considers measles-related. Kennedy has said only one of those deaths was caused by measles, leaving the state and federal figures unreconciled.
The CDC says it is working with state epidemiologists to establish a standard definition for reporting measles-related deaths. It has also said the count may change as reviews are completed and further information becomes available.
Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000. Some have linked its resurgence to rising vaccine scepticism, though the supplied figures do not establish a single cause.
