GoKawiilCDC internal database still logs two measles deaths RFK Jr. had removed from public site
Reuters and Inside Medicine report that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed CDC director Erica Schwartz to delete two measles deaths—a newborn and a child in Pennsylvania—from the agency's public data, which she did without objection despite staff having already confirmed the deaths were measles-related. Even so, an internal CDC system called One CDC Data Platform, accessible to health officials nationwide, still records both deaths.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The episode suggests political interference in public health reporting during an active outbreak that has sickened 540 people in Pennsylvania alone, undermining trust in official case counts. A gap between internal and public data could hamper local officials' response efforts and fuel further skepticism about the administration's handling of vaccine-preventable disease.
- RFK Jr. reportedly ordered the removal of two confirmed measles deaths from CDC's public website.
- An internal CDC database still lists the deaths, exposing a discrepancy between public and internal records.
- Pennsylvania's measles outbreak has grown to 540 cases, including 119 in the past week alone.
Source: arstechnica.com, 2026-09-03
Published there as: “Reports: RFK Jr. ordered measles deaths deletion; CDC still secretly counts them”
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