HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania has begun the process of requesting emergency assistance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for one of the country’s largest and deadliest measles outbreaks — but only if the federal agency recognizes the four measles-associated deaths reported by the state, according to a document reviewed by Reuters on Thursday.
In a letter sent Wednesday evening to CDC Director Erica Schwartz, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Debra Bogen said the state had begun requesting emergency assistance from the CDC, known as Epi-Aid. But the state will withdraw the request if the agency does not publicly acknowledge the deaths, the letter said.
“The CDC’s choice not to publicly recognize the deaths undermines our response,” Bogen wrote. “For this reason, if CDC is unable to transparently and accurately communicate information about those measles-associated deaths, the Department will respectfully rescind our request for a CDC Epi-Aid.”
The standoff between Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has intensified in recent weeks. The state reported its first two measles-associated deaths in 35 years on Aug. 25 — both infants from Lancaster County — and has since confirmed two more deaths: a 40-year-old woman from Jefferson County and an 18-year-old from Mifflin County. The Pennsylvania Department of Health said all four deaths were certified as measles-associated, with three independent coroners concurring.
As of Thursday, Pennsylvania had 731 confirmed measles cases, with 117 reported in the last seven days, according to the state health department. None of those infected were vaccinated.
Kennedy has cast doubt on whether deaths reported in U.S. measles outbreaks since he took office were due to the virus or another cause, and instructed the CDC not to include the Pennsylvania fatalities in a national tally, Reuters reported. On social media in late August, Kennedy suggested the deaths may have been “altogether fabricated” by one of Shapiro’s staffers, and said the Lancaster County coroner had no record of measles deaths. The Lancaster County coroner, Dr. Stephen Diamantoni, has confirmed to multiple media outlets that his office is investigating one of the deaths.
Shapiro told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Wednesday that he would not accept additional federal support until Kennedy acknowledges the deaths.
“We will be happy to accept additional support to deal with this crisis,” Shapiro said. “But I’m not going to accept that until RFK does what is right and stops reaching down into his administration and directing the CDC staff not to acknowledge the pain and suffering of these four families in Pennsylvania.”
The CDC responded on social media Thursday evening that Shapiro’s office had rejected the agency’s help and declined to provide information on the deaths — a claim the Pennsylvania Department of Health disputed, saying staff are in regular contact with the CDC’s measles team and regularly share data. The agency also said Friday it was delaying its weekly update of the national measles dashboard.
Kennedy has accused Shapiro of politicizing the outbreak and of failing to request federal help. Disease experts told Reuters that the health secretary’s intervention in determinations by state health officials was highly unusual and could minimize the risks of measles in the eyes of the public. CDC officials were not immediately available for comment Thursday.
Sources: Reuters; PhillyVoice; CNN; Bloomberg.