[UPDATE] Pennsylvania reports 4 measles deaths this year; CDC's count is still 0
Emergency aid hinges on a number the CDC won't publish.
Pennsylvania logged two more measles-associated deaths Tuesday, Sept. 15, for a total of 4 this year. The CDC dashboard still shows zero: the National Center for Health Statistics has no 2026 record listing measles as an underlying cause. The emergency aid Gov. Josh Shapiro (Gov-D Pennsylvania) wants requires the CDC to recognize the deaths first. Trump called Shapiro "close to incompetent," and Kennedy accused him of refusing to cooperate.
PREVIOUSLY
On Sep. 18, Pennsylvania formally asked the CDC for emergency measles assistance, which the agency can only provide if it publicly counts the state's measles deaths — something it had not done.
- US measles cases are the highest since 1991, with more related deaths than any year since 1992
- Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000
- Shapiro, with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. behind Trump in the Oval Office: "Incompetence is standing right behind you, Mr. President."