The US health secretary added that he would’ve made sweeping changes ‘on day one’ but he had to follow the law

As the death toll from the worst measles outbreak in decades rises, Robert F Kennedy Jr headlined the Washington DC conference of the anti-vaccine organization Children’s Health Defense, which he led for nearly a decade.

“Let me be clear. You have a strong and steadfast friend at the White House,” Kennedy, now serving as secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), told anti-vaccine activists at the conference in a nearly hour-and-a-half-long speech. He urged patience, saying that he would’ve made sweeping changes “on day one” but that he had to follow the law in order to make permanent change.

State reportedly asks for emergency assistance as state Democratic governor spars with US health secretary

Pennsylvania is seeking emergency assistance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a major measles outbreak spreads across the state. The state warned the request could be withdrawn unless the federal agency publicly recognizes four measles-associated deaths reported by the state.

The Pennsylvania department of health has begun the process of requesting CDC emergency support known as an Epi-Aid, according to a letter reviewed by the Guardian. The letter was first reported by Reuters on Thursday.

As the country’s top public health official spends his time in office undermining science, doctors and advocates mount an urgent campaign for childhood vaccines

On an early September morning, dozens of families stood in line outside a clinic in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. It was “exclusion day”, the deadline by which students without complete immunizations are barred from returning to class.

Instead of turning families away, school district leaders partnered with the county health department to vaccinate kids nearby so they could go back to their desks. That day, 42 middle and high school students were vaccinated to protect against tetanus, pertussis and meningitis, among other diseases.

Health committee chair Bill Cassidy said fatal outbreak of disease is a ‘terrible legacy’ for Trump administration

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Senator Bill Cassidy, the Republican chair of the US Senate health committee, blamed the Trump administration’s vaccine-skeptical approach for ‌recent measles deaths in Pennsylvania and challenged Donald Trump’s pick for surgeon general to directly state that vaccines do not cause autism on Wednesday.

Cassidy, a Louisiana physician who chairs the panel, said three people in Pennsylvania had died of measles, with a fourth death under review, because ​of misinformation and misguided policies. His remarks come as the US grapples with its worst measles outbreak in over three decades.

All deaths occurred in Pennsylvania, in worst year since 1992 for one of the most contagious diseases

Pennsylvania health officials said a fourth person had died of measles-associated illness in the worst year for the disease since 1992. All four US deaths have occurred in the state.

Due to the Trump administration changing how it reports measles deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not count any of the deaths in its national tally. Three people died in 2025.

CDC announces changes to how it reports measles deaths as Pennsylvania continues to confirm more cases

The Trump administration has changed the way it counts measles deaths amid an outbreak in Pennsylvania, which on Sunday saw the third apparent measles-related death in the state reported by a local coroner.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now using data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which is a way to track mortality trends over time, according to a note published to the agency’s website on 4 September.

Jefferson county coroner says 40-year-old woman died on Saturday, while two infants died with disease in August

A coroner in Pennsylvania announced the death of a 40-year-old woman associated with the state’s ongoing measles outbreak. The death appears to mark the third in the US state’s ongoing outbreak.

Two previous deaths in the state were in infant children. In one case, the infant was born with a genetic defect that made her vulnerable to infection. The second infant child was infected with measles, and died of a ruptured spleen.