US CDC confirms first measles-related death of 2026, does not disclose state

The US Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson declined to confirm where the death had occurred. The US health agency said it had received a report from a state in which measles was listed as the underlying cause of death and that its National Center for Health Statistics had verified the death.

A Bloomberg News report said the death reported by the CDC on Wednesday was one of the Pennsylvania deaths.

Pennsylvania, the hardest hit from the outbreak, has reported four measles-associated deaths so far this year, and had 835 cases as of September 23. The state's health department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The deaths have become the focus of a public dispute between Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has said only one of the deaths resulted from measles.