The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised its national measles death count to two, according to The Washington Post. The update was reported on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
The change comes as Pennsylvania's measles outbreak has grown to nearly 900 cases, The New York Times reports. ABC News reports that state officials confirmed 13 new infections, pushing Pennsylvania past 900 cases.
The Guardian reports that the CDC's second death was recorded while the agency excluded deaths in Pennsylvania from its tally. The Washington Post's headline likewise frames the figure as an updated toll.
In Amish country, nurses have been going door to door in an effort to halt the spread of the disease, according to the BBC.
The figures point to two separate threads: a national count maintained by the CDC and a state outbreak that has become one of the largest in the country. The gap between them — with Pennsylvania's deaths not included in the federal total — is central to how the current situation is being described across outlets.
Measles is a highly contagious viral illness, and outbreaks of this size typically draw attention to vaccination coverage in affected communities.
What to watch next: whether the CDC revises its count again, and whether Pennsylvania's case total continues to climb.
