CIDRAP- NEWS BRIEFS September 16, 2026

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CDC’s new tracking method for measles deaths puzzles experts​

News brief

Today at 3:56 p.m.
Stephanie Soucheray, MA
Topics

Measles

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has pivoted to using data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) for measles death counts, and not state data collected via the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

Despite Pennsylvania reporting four recent measles-associated deaths, two in babies and two in adults, the CDC website states, “The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) does not currently have any death records from 2026 that indicate measles is the underlying cause.”

The CDC website lists three deaths for 2025.

Experts say the move is confusing, as the NCHS data are meant to look at long-term morbidity and mortality trends, and not individual cases of infectious diseases.

“CDC will report measles deaths if and when the National Center for Health Statistics reports measles as the underlying cause of death,” said Emily Hilliard, a US Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson, in The Guardian.

Pennsylvania woman had measles at time of death​

Yesterday the coroner in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, confirmed that the 40-year-old woman who died over the weekend had an active measles infection at the time of death, as well as severe asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

“The positive test result supports the determination that the decedent was suffering from an active measles infection at the time of death,” Jefferson County officials said on Facebook.

Today the coroner in Mifflin County confirmed a fourth death in an unvaccinated 18-year-old.

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US pediatricians report seeing fewer patients because of immigration enforcement worries​

News brief

Today at 3:13 p.m.
Liz Szabo, MA
Meghan Holohan
Topics

Public Health
Immunization clinics in San Diego, California, are usually packed in August as parents prepare their kids for the new school year.

Not this year.

With agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) often waiting outside medical clinics in some states, many immigrant families are now afraid to seek healthcare, said Pia Pannaraj, MD, MPH, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California San Diego and a vice chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Committee on Infectious Diseases.

“We saw a huge drop off in people getting vaccinated,” Pannaraj told CIDRAP News. Many immigrant parents are afraid of being detained or arrested by ICE, she said. “It’s a valid fear.”

31% say fewer families applying for government programs​

Almost half of all pediatricians in the United States (39.6%) believe they’re seeing fewer families for medical care because of worries about immigration status, per a national AAP survey published today in Pediatrics. Clinicians report that about 26.2% of their patients come from families that immigrated to the United States.

Additional support is likely needed to bolster pediatricians’ ability to identify and address these concerns in a sensitive way that ensures family safety and confidentiality.

About one-third of pediatricians (31.3%) also noted that fewer families applied to government programs, and 21.3% said some families have stopped sending their children to school.

Many pediatricians reported being unsure whether they’ve been seeing fewer immigrant families, “suggesting an underestimation of families affected,” the authors wrote. “Additional support is likely needed to bolster pediatricians’ ability to identify and address these concerns in a sensitive way that ensures family safety and confidentiality.”
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