The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has acknowledged a measles-related death in its national figures, aligning with Pennsylvania’s reports amidst a political clash over vaccine misinformation and an escalating outbreak.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has now counted one measles-related death in its national figures, nearly a month after Pennsylvania first reported fatalities linked to the outbreak to federal officials. The update marks a quiet but significant shift in a dispute that had become increasingly political, with the CDC moving to align its dashboard with a death the state says was confirmed through standard public-health procedures.
Pennsylvania has said its outbreak is the worst the state has seen in decades. In its latest update, the state health department said there have been 835 confirmed cases across 39 counties, with 164 hospitalisations and four measles-associated deaths recorded this year. Officials have also said fewer than 1% of confirmed cases were in people who had received both doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, underscoring the protection provided by immunisation.
The conflict between state and federal officials began after Pennsylvania notified the CDC in August about two measles-related deaths. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. publicly cast doubt on the reports, while Governor Josh Shapiro accused him of fuelling distrust in vaccines. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Centre for Health Statistics later verified that a death had occurred and that measles was listed as the underlying cause. Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the department, said the CDC is still working with epidemiologists on a standard definition for a measles death.
The political stakes have been heightened by the wider outbreak. The CDC says the US has recorded 3,471 measles cases so far this year through Sept. 17, the country’s worst outbreak since the early 1990s. Pennsylvania health officials say the measles, mumps and rubella shot remains the best protection against a virus that is highly contagious and can lead to pneumonia, swelling of the brain and death. The state has also said it has stepped up vaccination efforts, including thousands of doses delivered through pop-up clinics in affected communities.
The debate over deaths has unfolded against a broader national fight over vaccines. The Atlantic reported that Kennedy recently used a public appearance with Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group he founded, to repeat claims linking vaccines to chronic illness and autism. That backdrop has made the measles response especially fraught, even as public-health officials continue to stress that vaccination is the most effective way to stop the spread.
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