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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
New CDC Director Erica Schwartz personally directed staff to exclude two Pennsylvania measles-related deaths from the agency's outbreak tracking page — a move that contradicts state health officials and appears to follow pressure from HHS Secretary RFK Jr. Experts say the decision is highly unusual and undermines the CDC's scientific credibility. Public health leaders warn Schwartz has gone from promising to "speak truth to power" to actively sidelining data that conflicts with her superior's position.
New CDC Director Erica Schwartz is under fire after reports from the New York Times and Washington Post revealed she personally directed staff to omit two likely measles-related deaths in Pennsylvania from the CDC's official outbreak tracking webpage. The move directly contradicts Pennsylvania state health officials, who say they followed CDC case definitions in classifying the deaths — making the federal pushback highly unusual, according to public health experts.
The controversy traces back to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who publicly questioned the Pennsylvania deaths on social media. The CDC then posted a statement accusing Pennsylvania officials of withholding information — a sharp reversal from a post just one day earlier in which the agency offered condolences for the same deaths. Public health leaders say Schwartz has moved beyond simply deferring to Kennedy privately; she now appears to be actively setting aside data that conflicts with her superior's public stance.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: When the CDC suppresses or distorts outbreak data under political pressure, it erodes public trust in the very institution Americans rely on during health crises — and sets a dangerous precedent for how future disease data may be reported.
