Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked CDC to remove measles death data, sources say

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director to remove a reference to two Pennsylvania deaths from the agency's online measles tally, according to three sources familiar with the situation. Kennedy questioned whether the disease contributed to the fatalities, despite CDC staffers having initially accepted the state's characterization of the deaths as measles-linked.

CDC Director Erica Schwartz reportedly agreed with Kennedy's directive and implemented it without objection. This action followed a public exchange on social media between Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, who accused each other of politicizing the measles outbreak.

Data indicates declining vaccination rates across the U.S., with medical organizations citing vaccine hesitancy as a primary cause. Pennsylvania alone has reported 540 measles cases this year. Georges Benjamin, chief executive of the American Public Health Association, called the move "unheard of" and stated Kennedy has an "anti-vaccine agenda."

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said the CDC "requested details necessary to determine whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths," citing conflicting reports from county and state health officials. The Pennsylvania health department stated it has "provided all required epidemiological data to the CDC." The state offered to provide de-identified information but noted the CDC has not signed off on the required paperwork.

Kennedy has long promoted the idea that vaccines are more dangerous than the diseases they prevent, a claim contradicted by scientific evidence. The CDC later updated its measles data website, omitting the Pennsylvania fatalities and adding a note stating that available information does not establish whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths.