The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with state epidemiologists to create a standard definition for measles deaths.
The CDC launched the project earlier this summer, before Pennsylvania announced two “measles-associated” deaths, setting off a controversy after the coroner who reviewed the deaths contradicted Gov. Josh Shapiro and the state health department, telling the media that one of the deaths was not caused by measles.
“Pennsylvania may classify deaths as ‘measles-associated’ under its state surveillance definition, but CDC is working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) to establish a standardized definition for measles deaths to ensure consistent reporting across jurisdictions,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Press Secretary Grace Davis Jamison told The Defender.
“CDC will apply the same national standard to every state and report any measles-caused deaths when the National Center for Health Statistics identifies measles as the underlying cause based on death record information submitted by the states,” Jamison said.
On Aug. 25, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced two deaths, both infants, describing them as “measles-associated.” In mid-September, the state announced two additional deaths, including one of a 40-year-old woman with a long history of underlying illness.
The CDC measles surveillance page, updated today, displays an asterisk with only one recorded death in 2026. The accompanying note says, “This number is subject to change; CDC will update its reporting as additional information becomes available and relevant reviews are completed.”
The federal government recently revised how it counts measles deaths in response to ongoing scrutiny around whether the Pennsylvania fatalities labeled “measles-associated” were actually caused by measles.
The Guardian recently reported the CDC will base its measles death count on data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
The CDC updated its site today, only after the NCHS alerted the agency about a measles-related death, Jamison said.
“Through its standard process, NCHS verified that the death occurred and that measles was listed as the underlying cause of death,” Jamison told The Defender.
Previously, the CDC pulled its measles death figures from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS), which receives public health surveillance data from state, local and territorial health departments.
NCHS tracks only the official causes of death as reported on death certificates, while the NNDSS reports include additional information about a person’s health status at the time of their death.
