The CDC left two measles-associated Pa. deaths out of its latest count after RFK Jr. sparred with Gov. Shapiro

Two measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania last week are missing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest measles outbreak update, escalating an increasingly political clash over the nature of the deaths announced by the state last week.

The two deaths reported by Pennsylvania — the first in the country this year — were not included because the CDC is still reviewing “additional information regarding the circumstances and causes of death,” according to an update posted to the CDC’s website Sunday.

“At this time, available information does not establish whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths or whether the individuals died from other causes while infected with measles,” the agency says in a footnote.

President Donald Trump’s head of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has disputed what Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and state health officials have disclosed about deaths.

Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, wrote on X that the deaths may have been “fabricated” by the Shapiro administration, which has confirmed the deaths announced last Tuesday were “measles-associated.”

Pennsylvania’s Department of Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Shapiro told reporters on Friday that “getting into a back-and-forth with people online who are spewing irresponsible conspiracy theories” does not “serve the public interest.”

The CDC publishes weekly updates tallying measles cases and deaths by state that tracks the spread of a highly contagious disease that was once considered eradicated in the United States due to widespread vaccination.

As of Thursday, there were 2,887 confirmed measles cases reported by 47 states, according to the CDC’s latest update.

Pennsylvania health officials have said they define “measles-associated deaths” as deaths of people where evidence of measles is present, even when the highly contagious disease may not be assessed by the coroner as the immediate cause of death.

The state has not provided any additional information on the deaths beyond confirming both people were unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County, and one patient was a newborn. Lancaster County’s coroner has said he handled one of the deaths, a newborn who died shortly after birth.

The coroner, Stephen Diamantoni, has said the child had a measles infection acquired before birth and died from a ruptured spleen. He cited trauma to the baby’s torso. Diamantoni, a Republican elected official, said he was still investigating the cause of the ruptured spleen and that he does not believe measles was the cause of death.

He told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that measles was listed on the baby’s death certificate, in a section of the certificate that reports other “conditions contributing to death but not resulting in the underlying cause.” Measles was included on the death certificate “to offer a broader view of the general health of the child,” he told the Pittsburgh paper.

Kennedy has also said the state is not cooperating with the CDC. State officials have responded they are in regular contact with the agency and met with CDC staff last week to discuss the cases.

The CDC’s latest measles update said that the agency is reviewing “additional information regarding the circumstances and causes of death.”

State and CDC measles case counts may differ because of their reporting schedules. The CDC’s webpage reflects “only confirmed measles cases” reported to the agency by noon Thursdays.

This is a developing story and will be updated.