Shapiro, RFK Jr. clash over measles deaths
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Gov. Josh Shapiro (left) and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Photos: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images, Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via Getty Images
Gov. Josh Shapiro and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are squaring off over vaccines.
Why it matters: The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed two measles-associated deaths — including one infant — in Lancaster County earlier this week.
- Both were unvaccinated.
The latest: Kennedy said Wednesday that Shapiro's office had not provided the CDC with details about the deaths. He accused Shapiro earlier of fabricating that measles were the reason for the deaths.
- Debra Bogen, Shapiro's health secretary, responded on X that the two "measles-associated deaths" had been reported to the CDC's measles response team early Tuesday morning.
Catch up quick: Shapiro spoke to Kennedy on the phone Tuesday following the deaths. The governor told reporters the conversation was "blunt," accused Kennedy of spreading misinformation, and asked him to encourage people to get vaccinated.
- Kennedy on Wednesday posted on X that he told Shapiro that some Americans had religious objections to the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine because it contained fetal tissue. (The American Academy of Pediatrics has refuted that claim.)
- Kennedy said he and HHS were not spreading misinformation and added that the Biden administration spread misinformation about vaccines over the years.
Shapiro responded on X on Wednesday and noted the rise in measles cases since RFK became HHS secretary. "The correlation is clear: Secretary Kennedy has stoked confusion amongst parents and others — and the result has been less protection from measles and more cases."
By the numbers: The U.S. measles vaccination rate stands at 92.4%, a drop from 95% in 2019.
Friction point: Lancaster County coroner Stephen Diamantoni said his office has not confirmed the two deaths were due to measles. Diamantoni, a Republican, ruled the cause of the infant's death was a lacerated spleen.
- The state health department says it uses "measles-associated death" when epidemiologic evidence of measles is present, but the disease may not be assessed by coroners to be the immediate cause of death.
What's next: The Lancaster County Coroner's Office is still investigating the death of the infant, Diamantoni told TribLive on Thursday.
- He said he was not aware of the other death.
- The health department said in a statement to TribLive that "not all deaths are referred to a coroner under Pennsylvania law."
- The CDC posted on X on Thursday that it will also investigate the cause of the deaths.