Kennedy asked to remove Pennsylvania measles death from CDC tally: Report
The agency kept the deaths in internal records while revising its public tally after Kennedy questioned whether measles caused the fatalities.
- U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed CDC Director Erica Schwartz to remove two Pennsylvania measles-associated deaths from the official online tally, citing questions about whether the virus caused the fatalities.
- The directive followed an August 26, 2026, social media dispute between Kennedy and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, where Kennedy accused the governor of withholding information and questioned if the deaths were "altogether fabricated by one of the Governor's hopeful staffers."
- Despite the CDC having previously accepted the state's classification, Schwartz implemented the removal Sunday, prompting criticism from American Public Health Association chief Georges Benjamin, who called the intervention "unheard of" and accused Kennedy of pursuing an "anti-vaccine agenda."
- The agency replaced the death count with an asterisk noting that available information does not establish a causal link to measles, while Pennsylvania officials maintain they have provided all required epidemiological data and are legally barred from sharing personally identifiable records.
- Rising vaccine hesitancy has fueled 540 cases in Pennsylvania this year, contributing to the highest level of U.S. measles cases in three decades as federal and state agencies clash over reporting procedures.
25 Articles
25 Articles
RFK Jr. wanted to leave out measles fatalities
WASHINGTON — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked his new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director to remove a reference to two Pennsylvania deaths from the agency's online measles tally after he questioned whether the disease contributed to…
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has asked the new director of the public health agency to remove two measles deaths in Pennsylvania from the list of cases, after questioning whether the disease contributed to the deaths […] The post Kennedy asks to remove two measles deaths first appeared on Novi list.
The Independent
The Independent (US)RFK Jr ‘asked CDC to remove Pennsylvania measles death from tally’
The decision came after a contentious exchange on social media between Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat
American Oversight Investigating CDC’s Apparent Manipulation of Measles Death Data At Kennedy’s Command
Thursday, American Oversight launched an investigation into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) apparently manipulated reporting surrounding two measles-associated deaths reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The alterations reportedly came at the command of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. We filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with HHS and CDC seeking records that coul…
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