{
  "id": 5804647,
  "title": "The CDC Is Now Denying That Specific Children Died From Measles, in a Scandal Potentially Beyond Anything in Its History",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/the-cdc-is-now-denying-that-specific-children-died-from-measles-in-a",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-05T17:01:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Futurism",
    "slug": "futurism",
    "url": "https://futurism.com/health-medicine/newborn-died-measles-rfks-cdc-denies"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has come under fire for refusing to count two children's deaths from measles in Pennsylvania, sparking a scandal that may be unprecedented. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the two victims - a newborn with a ruptured spleen and an unvaccinated child of unknown age - both tested positive for measles. However, the CDC has chosen not to include these deaths in its measles-related statistics, a move that has been labeled \"extraordinary\" by The New York Times. This stance contradicts the CDC's usual practice of accepting data from states. The controversy has intensified amid political tensions between health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Kennedy, who oversees the CDC, has accused Shapiro of spreading vaccine misinformation, while Shapiro has accused Kennedy of fabricating the children's deaths. The discrepancy in the children's deaths has been attributed to conflicting reports from the state health department and the county coroner. While the state's health department and the county coroner both initially reported the deaths as measles-related, the county coroner disputed this, stating that the newborn's death was due to a ruptured spleen. However, medical experts have pointed out that measles can cause a baby's spleen to enlarge and rupture during birth, suggesting that measles may still be a contributing factor. The CDC's decision to not count these deaths as measles-related comes just days after the public dispute between Kennedy and Shapiro. The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, has defended its decision, stating that the information currently available does not confirm the measles-related deaths. However, the lack of transparency surrounding the details of the children's deaths has fueled further controversy.",
  "summary": "It's a virtually unprecedented move by the CDC. The post The CDC Is Now Denying That Specific Children Died From Measles, in a Scandal Potentially Beyond Anything in Its History appeared first on Futurism .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}