CDC confirms second measles death in U.S. as Pennsylvania reports higher toll
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a second measles fatality nationwide, while Pennsylvania's health officials say the state has experienced four deaths amid more than 900 cases.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that a second death from measles has been confirmed nationwide, bringing the total number of deaths recorded by the agency to two. The agency did not specify the states where the fatalities occurred.
Pennsylvania, which has reported over 900 measles cases, says it has suffered four deaths, but those figures are not reflected in the CDC’s national count. The discrepancy stems from the CDC’s shift to using mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics rather than state reports.
"While daily numbers fluctuate, tracking these trends provides Pennsylvanians and health care providers with visibility into community transmission across the state and helps inform the department’s ongoing response," the Pennsylvania Department of Health said.
The state added 114 new cases in the past week, a third of them among children under 18, and recorded 176 hospitalizations. Fewer than 1% of the state's cases involve individuals who were fully vaccinated.
The outbreak now spans 47 states, with 3,659 confirmed cases as of 24 September, the highest annual total since 1991. Measles, declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, remains highly contagious and can lead to serious complications, with mortality rates estimated at one to three deaths per 1,000 cases.
The CDC’s reporting comes amid a reported reduction in its workforce, with the agency losing about a third of its civil service staff over the past year, according to the American Federation of Government Employees.