Third measles death reported in the US as nationwide cases top 4,400
A third person has died from measles in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported, as the country grapples with its largest measles outbreak in decades. The death was added to the federal tally on Tuesday.
The CDC did not specify in which state the death occurred. The agency confirmed the death on Tuesday after the National Center for Health Statistics verified that measles was listed as the underlying cause of death on a death certificate.
According to the CDC, 4,410 measles cases had been reported nationwide as of October 15. The agency has said its death count could change as further reviews are completed.
However, the CDC's national tally remains lower than the number of measles-related deaths reported by state officials. Pennsylvania, the state hardest hit by the outbreak, had reported 1,286 cases and five deaths as of Monday.
Pennsylvania's outbreak has spread well beyond its initial epicentre in Lancaster County. Cases are now being reported in 42 counties across the state.
The federal government's approach to counting measles deaths has drawn scrutiny. The CDC has shifted to relying on mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics rather than reports from state health departments.
The CDC has previously told Al Jazeera that it is working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to establish a standardised definition for measles deaths. In the meantime, it will use NCHS mortality data as its measure.
That means the higher death figures reported by states are not fully reflected in the federal tally — and that gap is drawing attention.
The scale of the outbreak makes clear that measles has once again become a major public health challenge in the United States. Cases topping 4,400 and a new name added to the death tally have deepened that concern.
With further reviews still under way, the CDC has said the final picture of deaths and cases may yet change.
