The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now lists one measles-related death in the United States this year, but the agency has not said who died or where. The change appeared Wednesday, Sept. 23, on the CDC's national measles data page, with a note that the number is subject to change.
The same day, Pennsylvania reported 835 confirmed measles cases in 39 counties, including 111 in the past week, along with 164 hospitalizations and four measles-associated deaths, NBC News reported. The state's count of four and the federal count of one have not been reconciled, leaving residents of the hardest-hit state with two official death tallies.
For families, the gap matters because conflicting counts make it harder to judge how serious an outbreak is. The practical guidance, however, has not changed.
A New Federal Counting Method Leaves Key Questions Open
The CDC said its National Center for Health Statistics verified that the death occurred and that a state report listed measles as the underlying cause, Reuters reported. A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson declined to say where the death occurred. Bloomberg News reported that it was one of the Pennsylvania deaths, which the CDC has not confirmed.
The CDC recently began using National Center for Health Statistics mortality data for its national measles death count instead of relying on state health departments, a change that has drawn scrutiny. HHS said it is working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists on a standard definition of a measles death so that jurisdictions classify and report deaths consistently.
Pennsylvania uses its own definition. The state counts a death as measles-associated when a person with clinical evidence of infection and a positive lab test dies within 30 days of symptom onset and did not die of an unrelated cause, such as a car crash, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. All four people who died were unvaccinated: two infants from Amish families in Lancaster County, an 18-year-old in Mifflin County who died of a serious neurological complication, and a 40-year-old woman in Jefferson County with severe respiratory conditions. The Lancaster County coroner has said he does not believe measles caused one of those deaths, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said only one of the four resulted from measles.
"If different agencies count deaths differently, it is very confusing and leads to a lack of transparency and trust," Kawsar Talaat, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told Reuters.
MedicalDaily previously reported that the CDC listed no 2026 measles deaths even as Pennsylvania counted four, when the state stood at 767 cases. Since then, the federal count has moved from zero to one, and Pennsylvania has added 68 cases. The CDC's national total was 3,471 confirmed cases as of Sept. 17, reported by 45 states, New York City and Washington, D.C. Three people died of measles in the United States in 2025.
Unvaccinated Residents Face the Greatest Risk
Lancaster County has reported 342 cases and Mifflin County 94, the Inquirer reported, and physicians and local health officials say the true count is likely higher. About two-thirds of Pennsylvania's cases are in adults, and nearly everyone diagnosed has been unvaccinated.
Risk is highest for unvaccinated people of any age, infants too young for a routine first MMR dose, pregnant people who are not immune, and people with weakened immune systems. Measles spreads through the air, and the virus can linger in a room for up to two hours after an infected person leaves.
Two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine are about 97% effective and usually protect for life. Adults with only one documented dose, or no records, can ask a clinician or pharmacist about vaccination. During outbreaks, infants as young as 6 months can receive an early dose. Residents are responding: Providers gave more than 38,000 MMR doses in the first three weeks of September, compared with about 25,000 in a typical month, the state said.
Free shots are available. The Pennsylvania Department of Health will offer MMR vaccines at no cost and with no insurance screening at the Bloomsburg Fair in Columbia County from Sept. 26 through Oct. 3. People who receive a first dose will get information on scheduling a second dose at a State Health Center. Children who qualify for the Vaccines for Children program can also be vaccinated at no cost.
Measles symptoms usually appear 7 to 14 days after exposure but can take up to 21 days. They begin with fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash that starts on the face and spreads downward. Anyone who suspects measles should call a health care provider before arriving so staff can prevent waiting-room exposures. Trouble breathing, confusion, seizures, or signs of dehydration need emergency care. Pennsylvanians can call 877-PA-HEALTH with exposure questions.
What Officials Have Not Yet Answered
The biggest unknowns are which state reported the federally counted death, whether the CDC will eventually count Pennsylvania's other deaths, and when a national definition will be finalized. Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the House committee that oversees health care, has asked CDC Director Erica Schwartz to brief committee Democrats on the omitted deaths and said Wednesday he was still waiting for a response, the Inquirer reported.
The CDC updates its national case counts weekly. MedicalDaily will track any change to the federal death count and whether weekly case growth in Pennsylvania slows.
The federal death count has changed, but the risk has not. Unvaccinated people in and around Lancaster and Mifflin counties face the greatest danger, and checking MMR records remains the most useful step a household can take.
Key Questions Answered
What did the CDC change on Sept. 23?
The CDC's measles page now lists one measles-related death in 2026. The agency said the death was verified through federal death records, but it did not say where the death occurred.
Why does Pennsylvania report four deaths while the CDC reports one?
The CDC now relies on federal mortality data that list measles as the underlying cause of death. Pennsylvania counts deaths within 30 days of symptom onset in people with lab-confirmed infection who did not die of an unrelated cause. The two counts have not been reconciled.
Who is most at risk right now?
Unvaccinated people of any age, infants too young for routine vaccination, pregnant people who are not immune, and people with weakened immune systems face the highest risk.
What symptoms should families watch for?
Fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash that starts on the face. Symptoms usually appear 7 to 14 days after exposure and can take up to 21 days. Call ahead before visiting a clinic.
Where can Pennsylvanians get a free MMR shot?
The state will run a free clinic with no-insurance screening at the Bloomsburg Fair from Sept. 26 through Oct. 3. Children eligible for the Vaccines for Children program can also get the vaccine at no cost.
Published by Medicaldaily.com
