Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Erica Schwartz has faced scrutiny from public health experts and former agency officials for her lack of public appearances during a national measles outbreak and the start of the respiratory virus season. Since starting her tenure in August 2026, Schwartz has not made public remarks or met with the media regarding current health crises.
The scrutiny follows a decision by the CDC to exclude two measles-associated deaths reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health from the national tally. The agency broke from its standard practice of accepting state-level death determinations, stating it will not include the deaths until the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reports measles as the underlying cause. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has publicly questioned the accuracy of Pennsylvania's reporting, while Governor Josh Shapiro (D) has attributed the outbreak to the secretary's vaccine policies.
As of September 13, 2026, the CDC reported 3,294 measles cases for the year, including 160 new cases in the previous week. This total exceeds the 2,289 cases recorded in all of 2025 and represents the most significant outbreak in more than 30 years. Despite these figures, the official CDC dashboard continues to list zero deaths for 2026, pending verification from the NCHS.
The conflict specifically involves the Department of Health in Pennsylvania, where officials classified two infant deaths as measles-associated. One case involved a newborn who tested positive for the virus but died of a ruptured spleen; the county coroner stated measles was not a factor, while the state argued the virus can inflame the spleen and lead to such injuries.
The situation also reflects shifts within the federal public health workforce, which has been reduced by nearly 25 percent following cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency. Public health experts, including former CDC Chief Medical Officer Deborah Houry, stated that the absence of a visible director during an epidemic is unusual. The CDC is currently working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to develop a standardized definition for measles deaths.