Pennsylvania asks CDC for emergency help as measles outbreak spreads

Pennsylvania has requested emergency assistance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as it deals with a significant measles outbreak. The state's health department has begun the process of requesting CDC emergency support, known as an Epi-Aid.

The request is conditional on the CDC recognizing four measles-associated deaths reported by the state. There is a dispute between Pennsylvania's Governor Josh Shapiro and US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the cause of these deaths. Kennedy has expressed doubts about whether the deaths were due to the virus or another cause.

The measles outbreak in Pennsylvania is one of the largest and most deadly in the country. The state's health department and the CDC are at odds over the recognition of the four measles-associated deaths, with disease experts describing Kennedy's interference as highly unusual.

Brief written by urgent.news from Guardian Health, The Korea Times, CNBC, Forbes — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.