Trump administration switches measles death count method during Pennsylvania outbreak
The CDC has begun using National Center for Health Statistics data to record measles deaths, a change made as Pennsylvania reports its third probable measles fatality.
During a measles surge in Pennsylvania, the CDC announced a revision to its death-counting methodology, opting to use data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) instead of the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. Critics, including former CDC chief medical officer Debra Houry, argue the NCHS is designed for broad mortality trends and not for confirming individual cases. Pennsylvania has documented two infant deaths and a recent fatality of a 40-year-old unvaccinated woman with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which the county coroner labeled as a probable measles death based on epidemiological links.
The CDC will only record a measles death when the NCHS lists measles as the underlying cause. Officials emphasize that maintaining at least a 95% vaccination rate is essential to safeguard those who cannot be immunized, such as infants and pregnant people. The change follows previous controversy over the classification of earlier measles deaths, with HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard reaffirming the continued recommendation for the MMR vaccine.
Why it matters
Accurate death reporting influences public health response and vaccination efforts during a contagious disease outbreak.
How this story developed
- Aug 25 Two Unvaccinated Pennsylvanians Die from Measles, First Fatalities in 2026
- Aug 25 Senators Angela Alsobrooks and Raphael Warnock publicly called for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign.
- Aug 27 Letters reveal Robert F Kennedy Jr said his 2019 Samoa visit was to study the MMR vaccine, contradicting his Senate testimony that it had nothing to do with vaccines.
- Aug 27 Lancaster County coroner said the infant’s death was classified as measles‑associated rather than a direct measles death.
- Aug 28 Senator Ron Wyden publicly called for a DOJ criminal investigation of Secretary Kennedy, and Kennedy’s remarks on Pennsylvania measles deaths were criticized by Governor Josh Shapiro.
- Aug 29 Case count rose to 460 with infections in 31 counties.
- Aug 31 The CDC publicly questioned the state's reporting of the deaths on social media.
- Sep 1 New reporting highlights that measles can cause immune amnesia, potentially obscuring additional deaths beyond those directly attributed to the disease.
- Sep 1 CDC removed the two Pennsylvania deaths from its national measles mortality count pending further review.
- Sep 14 The CDC added a disclaimer and an asterisk to its measles death page while independently reviewing the two infant cases.
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