Kennedy Pressured CDC to Drop Pennsylvania Measles Deaths From Tally
HHS Secretary Kennedy directed the CDC to exclude two Pennsylvania measles deaths from its tally, sparking criticism from public health experts.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to remove two Pennsylvania deaths from the agency's online measles tally, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The request came after Kennedy questioned whether the disease actually contributed to the fatalities.
CDC staff had already accepted Pennsylvania's classification of the deaths as measles-related, a state official said. However, Erica Schwartz, the recently appointed CDC director, complied with Kennedy's directive without objection, the sources said.
The move followed a heated public exchange between Kennedy and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat. The two accused each other of politicizing the outbreak in Pennsylvania, which has reported 540 measles cases this year.
Public health experts criticized the intervention. Georges Benjamin, CEO of the American Public Health Association, called it "unheard of" for the CDC to publicly question state health department conclusions. "The secretary had no business interfering in the normal process," he said, citing Kennedy's anti-vaccine agenda.
A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said the CDC "requested details necessary to determine whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths," citing conflicting reports between county and state officials. The spokesperson did not comment on the roles of Kennedy or Schwartz in excluding the deaths.
The Pennsylvania health department notified the CDC of the two deaths on August 25. The state said the individuals were unvaccinated but did not share further circumstances. After Kennedy's public accusation that the deaths might be "altogether fabricated," the state offered de-identified information to the CDC, but the federal agency has not completed the required paperwork.
When the CDC updated its measles data page on Sunday, it excluded the Pennsylvania fatalities and added an asterisk noting that available information does not establish whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths. The CDC has not indicated what information it will use to make that determination.