US: CDC deletes Pennsylvania measles deaths from data amid dispute with HHS

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has deleted two measles-related deaths in Pennsylvania from its public data, even as reports indicate the agency still tracks them internally. Under normal practice, state and local health departments determine whether a case or death belongs to an outbreak, and the CDC simply compiles these reports for national tallies.

Clash with the governor

Shortly after Pennsylvania health officials announced the two deaths, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got into a heated public exchange with Governor Josh Shapiro, who blamed Kennedy's anti-vaccine rhetoric and misinformation for helping fuel outbreaks like this one. Kennedy responded on social media with misinformation about the measles vaccine and, without offering evidence, suggested the state may have "fabricated" the deaths.

From announcement to deletion

When the CDC first publicly listed the two deaths on August 30, it attached an unusual note explaining that health departments make such determinations and pass the information to the CDC. The two deaths have since been removed from the agency's data entirely, replaced by an even more unusual note stating that available information does not establish whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths, or whether the individuals died of other causes while infected.

In an earlier statement to Ars Technica, HHS said the two Pennsylvania deaths "have not been confirmed based on the information currently available to CDC." A spokesperson did not respond when asked what specific information the CDC was still missing or awaiting from the state. Pennsylvania's health department, for its part, maintains it has already supplied the CDC with all required information.