CDC to aid Pennsylvania measles response after 1,222 cases

The CDC said on Thursday it would send a scientist to Pennsylvania, where the state had confirmed 1,222 measles cases as of Wednesday, The Guardian reported in an Oct. 17 article.

Evidence grade: Claim (no study cited) for the local-capacity assessment; official surveillance figures show cases rose from 86 the previous week, while Pennsylvania confirmed six measles-associated deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist is from the agency’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, a unit often described as deploying “disease detective” staff to outbreaks. The Guardian, citing NBC News, said the CDC was also releasing nearly $4 million for Pennsylvania’s measles response.

“CDC will continue working closely with Pennsylvania health officials to provide the expertise and support needed to respond to the outbreak and protect public health,” a CDC spokesperson told NBC News on Thursday, according to The Guardian.

The spokesperson also said CDC Director Erica Schwartz recommends the MMR vaccine “as the most effective way to prevent measles and protect against infection.” MMR refers to measles, mumps and rubella vaccination.

Lancaster County, described by The Guardian as the focus of Pennsylvania’s outbreak, had more than 415 confirmed cases as of Oct. 9. The article said it is the largest county in Pennsylvania without its own health department.

Alice Yoder, a Lancaster County commissioner elected in 2023 and a former critical care nurse, told The Guardian that county officials were “very concerned” and that the lack of a local health department left the county at a disadvantage.

“It’s a lot for our state to handle from a communication standpoint,” Yoder said. She said Pennsylvania has 67 counties, with 60 under a centralized state system rather than local health departments.

Yoder said a local department would give the county faster data and established staff relationships across the community. She told The Guardian that county officials now learn about measles cases and deaths through media announcements at the same time as the public.

The Guardian said the Amish community, which it described as historically having lower vaccination rates, makes up about 8% of Lancaster County’s population. The article did not provide current vaccination rates for the county or the affected communities.

The outbreak has also become part of a broader political dispute over vaccines. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in August, during a briefing on two measles deaths in the state, that rhetoric from the administration and Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr was harming communities.

“I made very clear that his actions and the rhetoric that’s coming from this administration are having a negative impact on communities across America, particularly right here in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said, according to The Guardian. “There’s real-life consequences to spreading misinformation. There’s real-life consequences to scaring people.”

The reports do not establish how much Lancaster County’s government structure contributed to the outbreak’s size, nor do they show how the CDC deployment will change case trends. They also do not give a detailed breakdown of cases by age, vaccination status or locality.

As of Friday, the CDC reported 4,410 measles cases nationwide, an increase of 330 from its prior weekly update, according to The Guardian. The article said the CDC had shifted to using National Center for Health Statistics mortality data for measles-related deaths rather than relying on state health departments, a change Reuters said had drawn scrutiny.

Source: news article, The Guardian Health, Oct. 17, 2026.

Atlas360 reports health research and does not provide medical advice.