CDC reports third measles death in the United States this year

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has reported that a third person has died due to measles in the United States, as the country grapples with its largest measles outbreak in decades.

The CDC did not specify on Tuesday in which state the death occurred. The agency’s national tally remains lower than the number of measles-related deaths reported by state officials, particularly in Pennsylvania, the state hardest hit by the outbreak. Pennsylvania had reported 1,286 cases and five deaths as of Monday.

The CDC confirmed a death on Tuesday after the National Center for Health Statistics verified that measles was listed as the underlying cause of death on a death certificate.

The CDC reported 4,410 measles cases nationwide as of October 15. The agency has said its death count could change as further reviews are completed. The outbreak in Pennsylvania has spread well beyond its initial epicentre in Lancaster County, with 42 counties now reporting cases.

The federal government’s approach to counting measles deaths has drawn scrutiny after the CDC shifted to relying on mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) rather than state health departments’ reports.

The CDC has previously told Al Jazeera that it is working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to establish a standardised definition for measles deaths. In the meantime, they will use NCHS mortality data as their measure.