CDC Confirms Person Died From Measles in US

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an update published on Sept. 23 that it has confirmed a death from measles in the United States.

Pennsylvania officials have in recent weeks reported four deaths they said were associated with measles, but the CDC had kept its measles count at zero as personnel with the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) worked to review records from the fatalities.

“NCHS informed CDC that it received a report from a state of a measles-related death. Through its standard process, NCHS verified that the death occurred and that measles was listed as the underlying cause of death. This is now reflected on the CDC website,” a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC’s parent agency, told The Epoch Times via email on Thursday.

The website said that the death number “is subject to change” and that the CDC “will update its reporting as additional information becomes available and relevant reviews are completed.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has said four deaths in the state were associated with measles. Local coroners have said one of the deaths was not related to measles, and the other three either appeared to be or were caused by the infectious disease.

Federal officials declined to say which of the four deaths it was counting as a measles death.

“The Pennsylvania Department of Health is not aware of which death the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is citing,” Neil Ruhland, press secretary for the department, told The Epoch Times in an email.

In a letter dated Sept. 16, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen told CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz that the state was formally requesting assistance dealing with the measles outbreak, but that the request would be rescinded if the measles deaths were not recognized.

“The Department urges the CDC to acknowledge the loss of four Pennsylvanians to this virus and to transparently report the measles-associated deaths on its public-facing dashboard, in alignment with historic and best public health practice,” Bogen wrote at the time.

It’s unclear whether the CDC has responded to Bogen. Ruhland declined to say whether recognizing one death was sufficient to keep state officials from withdrawing the request for aid.

The CDC has said it is working with a group of epidemiologists called the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to develop a standard definition for measles deaths.

“This work is intended to promote consistent classification and reporting of measles deaths across jurisdictions,” the Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said.

Pennsylvania officials on Thursday reported 43 new measles cases, bringing the cumulative total to 835. Of those, 164 have been hospitalized.

Nationwide, there have been 3,471 confirmed cases, about 9 percent of whom have been admitted to hospitals.