Pennsylvania’s growing measles outbreak

Pennsylvania sees third measles-associated death

A coroner in Pennsylvania reported another death tied to the state’s worsening measles outbreak.

The Jefferson County coroner in a release initially posted to Facebook said a woman died Saturday from “ complications associated with measles.” “Out of respect for the privacy of the deceased and her family, no additional identifying information will be released,” the statement added. In an interview with The Washington Post, the coroner — who was elected as a Republican — said the woman was unvaccinated and had contact with another person who had a laboratory-confirmed case of measles. The coroner’s office said it is currently working with the state’s health department. In a statement Monday, the health department said it is in touch with the coroner and “actively conducting its own review of the case and will update the public when that investigation is complete.” In late August, the state’s health department reported two infant deaths that it described as “ measles-associated.”

But Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized the finding and suggested the office of Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) may have fabricated the deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has subsequently refused to count the deaths in its official 2026 tally, citing a lack of standardized definition. CDC Director Erica Schwartz said that Pennsylvania officials had not notified the agency of the death as of Sunday night, and that the state has not requested official outbreak support from the agency. Deborah Houry, a former CDC chief medical officer, said states don’t always request outbreak support. Houry, who resigned last year when Schwartz’s predecessor was fired, said it’s also not unusual that Pennsylvania hasn’t yet notified CDC. “It likely shows PA is following the process, ” Houry said in a text message. “The adult death was first reported by the county coroner, and Pennsylvania is conducting its epidemiologic review. Formal notification would appropriately follow that review if the case meets the state definition.” According to the state, a confirmed measles-associated death is a death that occurs within 30 days of symptom onset in an individual with “clinical evidence of a measles infection and a positive laboratory test and that is not due to unrelated causes (e.g. a motor vehicle accident). ” Additional information, such as whether an individual was exposed to measles prior to their death or supporting medical records, is also considered, the state said. A death would not be determined to be measles-associated if there was no laboratory evidence of measles infection or if the death was determined to be due to other unrelated causes.

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How policy will be impacting the healthcare sector this week and beyond:

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is scheduled to give a keynote address this week at a conference for Children’s Health Defense (CHD), the anti-vaccine advocacy organization he co-founded and led prior to becoming head of the nation’s health agency. For the past year Kennedy has worked to distance himself from the efforts of CHD, an organization that questions the safety and efficacy of childhood …

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Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:

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The Senate Committee on Aging will hold a hearing Wednesday to examine the “menopause care gap in America.”

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing Tuesday to look into proposals on reforming Medicare provider payments .

The Trump administration on Monday gutted regulations that limited planet-warming emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants. The move allows a sector that makes up a large share of the U.S.’s climate change contributions to release greenhouse gases unchecked by the government. It’s expected to be a win for the fossil fuel industry, while allowing the release of significantly more planet-heating pollution.

Local and state headlines on healthcare:

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Texas health department requests additional funding to support local departments, maintain programs ( Houston Public Media )

Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

The GOP’s $50 billion rural health fund is coming up short , hospital leaders say ( Stat )

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