CDC delays counting Pennsylvania measles deaths as outbreak intensifies statewide

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its measles dashboard but has not added four deaths that occurred in Pennsylvania, where the outbreak is rapidly worsening. Lawmakers have asked for an immediate briefing as cases rise to levels unseen in decades and a potential exposure was noted in the NICU at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Former CDC chief medical officer Debra Houry called the reporting delay "curious," noting that Pennsylvania had already completed investigations.

Infectious-disease specialist John Goldman highlighted new manifestations, including congenital measles, and warned that hospitalizations and deaths are exceeding expected rates. The CDC is working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to create a specific measles-death definition, while HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said the agency currently relies on state-submitted death records. State health officials have opened over 100 pop-up vaccination clinics and are accelerating testing to contain the spread.