CDC omits Pennsylvania measles deaths from weekly update pending review

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday said it would not include two measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania in the federal agency’s weekly outbreak update, explaining it is still investigating the cause of the deaths.State officials have said there were two measles-associated deaths in Lancaster County last week. The county coroner confirmed one of those deaths was not due directly to measles, saying a newborn infant died from a ruptured spleen shortly after birth. The Pennsylvania Department of Health said there was a second reported measles-associated death, but has offered almost no detail on it so far, making it unclear whether the death was caused by measles or not.This week, the CDC declined to include the measles-associated deaths as confirmed measles fatalities in its update on outbreaks, saying it is reviewing “additional information regarding the circumstances and causes of death.” “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,” a page on the CDC’s website says. “CDC will update the national count as additional information becomes available.”The deaths in Lancaster attracted national attention due to public disagreements between Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the framing of the deaths.Shapiro, who is viewed as a possible 2028 presidential contender, emphasized that neither of the two fatalities was vaccinated for measles, and called on residents to get vaccinated following the deaths.“Today, we see the consequences of a lack of immunizations in the first measles-associated deaths that our commonwealth has seen in 35 years,” Shapiro said Tuesday alongside Dr. Debra Bogen at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Hospital. “I want to be clear: This illness and death from measles is completely preventable.”Kennedy suggested Shapiro was weaponizing the fatalities to pressure residents into getting vaccinated without evidence that the two individuals died directly because of measles. The HHS secretary accused Shapiro’s office of shattering tradition and violating “standard public health policy by refusing to share information with the County Health Department or CDC.”ABORTION PILL MAKERS SHIRK OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITY WHILE MAKING MILLIONS, SENATE GOP FINDS“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,” Kennedy wrote in a post to X. “The performance was a replay of the Democrats’ COVID playbook: fearmongering, misinformation, finger-pointing, and the weaponization of infectious disease fears for political gain.”The CDC said last week it is working to determine “what actually occurred,” adding that “accuracy is critical to reliable national data, transparency, and public trust.”