Third measles death reported in US amid outbreak

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 11:33 · Archive

The US Centers for Disease Control has reported a third measles death this year as cases exceed 4,400 nationwide.

The Centers for Disease Control has added a third measles death to its national count for 2024, as the United States confronts its largest measles outbreak in decades. The outbreak has produced 4,410 confirmed cases nationwide as of October 15, nearly double the previous year's total. Pennsylvania remains the epicentre, with 1,286 cases and five deaths reported by state health officials as of Monday, though the CDC's national tally of three deaths remains lower than state counts.

The CDC did not disclose which state the latest death occurred in, citing privacy laws. However, experts including Dorit Reiss, a law professor at UC Law San Francisco, have questioned this restriction. Reiss noted that the CDC already publishes case numbers by state and argued that there is no privacy concern in revealing state-level death counts. The CDC is not governed by the same privacy rules as healthcare providers; it is instead guided by the Federal Privacy Act.

The agency has indicated its death count may change as further reviews are completed. The outbreak has spread beyond its initial epicentre in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with 42 counties across the state now reporting cases. Cases have grown by 8 per cent in a single week, according to the Guardian's reporting.

How it is being reported

• Experts alarmed by ‘less transparent’ CDC as US measles deaths riseAgency declines to reveal in which state latest measles death occurred as it delays reporting other measles deaths The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added a third measles death to its dashboard on Wednesday, but the agency would not reveal whether the death occurred in Pennsylvania or another state – which is “notable” as the agency delays reporting other measles deaths, experts say. The CDC cited privacy laws in not sharing the name of the state, but experts say there are no privacy concerns in doing so – and this information is important for the public to have as the…Guardian World · 22 Oct, 11:00
• CDC reports third measles death in the United States this yearThe death was added to the federal tally, as the US records more than 4,400 measles cases nationwide.Al Jazeera · 20 Oct, 18:58

In this story: Centers for Disease Control · Pennsylvania · Lancaster County · United States

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