Pennsylvania has attached a condition to its request for federal outbreak help. In a letter to CDC Director Erica Schwartz sent Wednesday evening, state Health Secretary Debra Bogen said the department had begun the process of requesting an Epi-Aid, the CDC's on-the-ground epidemiological assistance, but would withdraw it if the agency continues to leave the state's four measles deaths out of its national count.
"The CDC's choice not to publicly recognize the deaths undermines our response," Bogen wrote in the letter, which was reviewed by Reuters and reported by CNBC. She wrote that if the agency cannot communicate the deaths transparently and accurately, the department would respectfully rescind the request.
