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CDC sends disease detective to Pennsylvania over worst measles outbreak in 35 years, six dead including two infants as cases pass 1,100

Vaccine skeptic Kennedy now recommends the MMR shot he once doubted

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Pennsylvania’s Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro previously blasted what he called the Trump administration’s ‘incompetence’ in responding to measles. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, has previously claimed that Pennsylvania’s measles death toll was ‘fabricated’ (Getty Images) Pennsylvania’s Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro previously blasted what he called the Trump administration’s ‘incompetence’ in responding to measles. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, has previously claimed that Pennsylvania’s measles death toll was ‘fabricated’ (Getty Images) Getty Images
Measles infections can be prevented with two doses of the MMR vaccine. Without it, infections can cause brain-swelling, pneumonia and death (Getty) Measles infections can be prevented with two doses of the MMR vaccine. Without it, infections can cause brain-swelling, pneumonia and death (Getty) Getty

The CDC is sending a disease detective to Pennsylvania, which has formally requested federal help with its worst measles outbreak in 35 years. Six people have died of measles in the state in the past three months, including two infants, and cases have reached 1,136, with 157 reported in the last week alone. The agency is also providing nearly $4 million to support the response. The outbreak stretches into Georgia, where a case reported Tuesday was tied to the Pennsylvania cluster. Nationwide, more than 4,000 infections have been reported this year across nearly every state in the contiguous US, according to the latest CDC data — the highest levels in 35 years. The vaccine is unchanged: two doses of MMR offer lifelong protection against severe illness. What has changed is the share of people taking it. Public health officials point to vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, and Pennsylvania's Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, has blamed the administration's response as incompetent. The politics run through the science. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, previously claimed Pennsylvania's measles death toll was fabricated; a CDC spokesman now says Kennedy and the CDC director continue to recommend the MMR vaccine as the most effective protection. The agency's own official death count stands at two this year — four fewer than Pennsylvania's — with updates promised after "relevant reviews." Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious disease expert at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, put the dynamic plainly: not only did the country eliminate the disease, it eliminated the memory of the disease. The declared elimination of measles in 2000 assumed a public that would keep its end of the bargain.