Full Breakdown
US Health Secretary Alters Measles Death Reporting Amid Outbreak
By Drooid · · How we work
Change to Measles Death Counting
In October 2024, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics will no longer add state reports of deaths among people who had measles to the national tally automatically. Instead, a death will be counted only after the CDC confirms that measles is listed as an underlying cause on the individual’s death certificate—a verification that can take weeks, according to health experts.
Background and Current Outbreak
The United States is experiencing its largest measles resurgence since 1991, with more than 6,300 infections and at least eight fatalities reported by state and local officials since Kennedy assumed the health-secretary role in early 2025. Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, has publicly questioned the severity of measles and promoted the view that the virus is less dangerous than the vaccines used to prevent it.
How Deaths Are Determined
Historically, state and local health departments reported any death of a person diagnosed with measles to the federal government, separate from death certificates that might list measles as a cause or contributing factor. Medical experts note that death certificates typically record a chain of events, naming the immediate cause (e.g., respiratory failure) and the underlying cause (e.g., measles) that initiated the fatal sequence. Under the new policy, the CDC has so far accepted only two of five measles-related deaths reported by states this year.
Expert and Political Reactions
Leading medical organizations argue that Kennedy’s comments and the revised counting method increase public distrust of vaccines, despite longstanding evidence of their safety and effectiveness. Disease experts contend that downplaying measles-related deaths could obscure the virus’s risks and delay data that might encourage vaccination. Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania publicly disputed the state’s reported measles deaths before the policy change, illustrating political opposition.
Potential Impact on Public Health
Analysts warn that the shift could postpone the release of mortality data, reducing the urgency of vaccination campaigns during the outbreak. A similar debate arose during the COVID-19 pandemic over distinguishing deaths “from” versus “with” the virus, with public-health officials emphasizing that excluding deaths because of comorbidities would underestimate disease impact. The current measles counting controversy may therefore affect both surveillance accuracy and public confidence in immunization programs.
