Pennsylvania is seeking emergency assistance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a major measles outbreak spreads across the state. The state warned the request could be withdrawn unless the federal agency publicly recognises four measles-associated deaths reported by the state.
The Pennsylvania department of health has begun the process of requesting CDC emergency support known as an Epi-Aid, according to a letter reviewed by the Guardian. The letter was first reported by Reuters on Thursday.
Debra Bogen, Pennsylvania’s secretary of health, outlined the condition in a letter sent on Wednesday to the CDC director, Erica Schwartz.
“The CDC’s choice not to publicly recognize the deaths undermines our response,” Bogen wrote. “For this reason, if CDC is unable to transparently and accurately communicate information about those measles-associated deaths, the department will respectfully rescind our request for a CDC Epi-Aid.”
The development comes amid an ongoing dispute involving Josh Shapiro, the state’s Democratic governor, and Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, over the state’s handling of the outbreak and how measles-related deaths are being counted.
Source: The Guardian, 17 September 2026
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