Exclusive-Kennedy asked to remove Pennsylvania measles death from CDC tally, sources say

Key Points:

• U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed the CDC to remove references to two Pennsylvania measles-related deaths from the agency's online tally, questioning whether measles contributed to the fatalities despite state health officials linking the deaths to the disease.
• CDC Director Erica Schwartz complied with Kennedy's request without objection, following a dispute between Kennedy and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who accused Kennedy of politicizing the outbreak and promoting anti-vaccine misinformation.
• The Pennsylvania health department reported 540 measles cases this year, with declining vaccination rates contributing to the resurgence; however, legal and privacy concerns have limited the sharing of detailed health records between Pennsylvania and the CDC.
• Public health experts criticized Kennedy's interference, emphasizing that it is unusual for the CDC to publicly question state health department conclusions, and noted Kennedy's long-standing anti-vaccine stance amid rising U.S. measles cases.
• The CDC delayed its weekly measles update and later added a disclaimer stating that available information does not confirm whether measles caused or contributed to the Pennsylvania deaths, with no clear plan on how the agency will resolve the investigation.