Two unvaccinated Lancaster County residents died of measles in August 2026, the first deaths in Pennsylvania in 35 years, but CDC placed them under review and excluded them from official counts. CDC director Erica Schwartz's decision to distinguish between dying 'with' versus 'of' measles mirrors pandemic-era COVID-19 death reclassifications and represents a departure from established surveillance protocols.
CDC removes measles deaths from official count under new director
Two deaths recorded: one newborn who died shortly after birth to a measles-infected mother, and one other unvaccinated resident; measles spreading through immigration detention facilities with dozens quarantined.