Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed CDC to remove Pennsylvania measles deaths from tally

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. intervened to remove two measles-related deaths in Pennsylvania from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) online tally. According to reports, Kennedy questioned whether the disease contributed to the fatalities, despite CDC staff previously accepting the state's assessment that the deaths were linked to measles.

CDC Director Erica Schwartz reportedly implemented the directive to remove the references without objection. The move follows a public dispute between Kennedy and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, with both officials accusing the other of politicizing the outbreak. Pennsylvania has reported 540 measles cases this year, including two deaths in Lancaster County, which marked the first measles deaths in the state in over three decades.

The CDC stated that available information does not currently establish whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths or if the individuals died from other causes while infected. Public health experts have criticized the intervention, with the American Public Health Association describing the interference in the normal process of state and local health department conclusions as ‘unheard of’.