Oct 13 (Reuters) – The US CDC said on Tuesday it would deploy additional support to Pennsylvania to help investigate the ongoing measles outbreak, as the state formally requested federal assistance through the agency’s Epi-Aid emergency response program.
Pennsylvania health officials have reported 1,136 measles cases and five deaths linked to the outbreak this year as of October 9, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed two measles-associated deaths nationwide in 2026, without identifying the states involved.
The differing death counts have fueled a public dispute between Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose department oversees the CDC, over how measles-associated deaths should be defined and counted.
The agency said it would work with local health officials to investigate the outbreak, strengthen response efforts and prevent spread.
“Texas, South Carolina, Virginia, Kansas, New Mexico, and Wisconsin requested CDC Epi-Aids and worked alongside federal teams to help bring their outbreaks rapidly and successfully under control,” the agency said in a statement.
Reuters had exclusively reported in September that Pennsylvania’s health department sought emergency support from the CDC, but only on the condition that the agency acknowledge the measles-associated deaths reported by the state.
Separately, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said last week the state would seek federal assistance to respond to its measles outbreak, including support from the US Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC.
However, neither the governor’s office nor the New York State Department of Health clarified whether a formal request has been submitted.
This came after Hochul declared a statewide disaster emergency over the outbreak, the first such declaration by a US state since measles cases began rising in 2025.
New York had reported 126 measles cases as of October 13.
(Reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb in Washington, Mrinalika Roy and Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet Das and Shilpi Majumdar)
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