The CDC said it is still reviewing measles deaths reported by states this year, even as Pennsylvania has confirmed four fatalities tied to its outbreak.
In a Sept. 18 update, the CDC’s dashboard listed 3,471 confirmed measles cases nationwide and zero deaths for 2026 as of Sept. 17.
“The National Center for Health Statistics does not currently have any death records from 2026 that indicate measles is the underlying cause,” the webpage says.
In a Sept. 21 statement to Becker’s, HHS said Pennsylvania’s count reflects a state definition the federal government does not apply nationally.
“Pennsylvania may classify deaths as ‘measles-associated’ under its state surveillance definition, but CDC is working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to establish a standardized definition for measles deaths to ensure consistent reporting across jurisdictions,” an HHS spokesperson said.
“In the interim, 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.”
The approach breaks from the agency’s longstanding practice of accepting states’ death determinations, according to the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy. The shift followed a decision by CDC Director Erica Schwartz, MD, who took over the agency in August. Dr. Schwartz ordered staff to exclude two Pennsylvania-reported deaths from the national tally and to post a note questioning them, stating the report “does not establish whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths.”
“CDC has a responsibility to ensure its reporting accurately and transparently reflects what is known and what remains unconfirmed,” an HHS spokesperson told Becker’s in early September.
Pennsylvania has classified all four deaths as measles-associated, its standard when laboratory or epidemiologic evidence of measles is present. Two unvaccinated Lancaster County residents died in August — the state’s first measles deaths in 35 years — including a newborn whose mother had measles. A 40-year-old woman in Jefferson County and an unvaccinated 18-year-old in Mifflin County died in September.
Pennsylvania has recorded 767 cases across 38 of 67 counties in 2026, its worst outbreak in more than three decades. About 20% of patients have been hospitalized, according to a Sept. 18 update from the state’s health department.
Nationally, 2026 cases are above the 2,289 recorded in all of 2025, with three months left in the year. The CDC confirmed three measles deaths in 2025.
