Shapiro, RFK Jr. clash after Pennsylvania health officials report 2 measles-related deaths
As the number of measles cases in Pennsylvania continues to grow, a war of words erupted between Gov. Josh Shapiro and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who's questioning the recently announced measles deaths in the state.
This comes after Pennsylvania health officials announced the first two measles deaths in the country in 2026.
Measles cases in Pennsylvania are rising. The state is now reporting 424 infections, 94 in the last seven days.
Lancaster County has 197, the highest number in the state. It's also where the first two measles deaths happened.
In 2025, Pennsylvania had a total of 16 measles cases, and in 2024, it reported just 6, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows.
On Tuesday, Shapiro said of the deaths: "Both were unvaccinated. We hope and we pray that those deaths will be the last."
Shapiro blamed a drop in vaccinations for the increasing number of measles cases and criticized Kennedy for spreading misinformation.
According to the CDC, 92.7% of Pennsylvania kindergarteners had received the MMR vaccine before the 2025-26 school year. That's a decrease from 95.5% 10 years ago. When more than 95% of a community is vaccinated against measles, herd immunity protects most people, the CDC says.
"There's real-life consequences to scaring people and not relying on actual doctors and actual medical professionals to provide unbiased information," Shapiro said.
Kennedy fired back, saying in a post on X that Shapiro was "refusing to share information with the County Health Department or CDC."
In the post, he said the deaths may have been "altogether fabricated by one of the governor's hopeful staffers."
"We're trying to figure out who those deaths were and whether they actually happened and we can't figure that out yet," Kennedy said Wednesday.
While the coroner's report has not been released publicly, the Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen said Thursday: "As a pediatrician with more than 30 years of caring for children, I have thoroughly reviewed the case investigation information and sadly can confirm that there were two recent measles-associated deaths in Lancaster County."
Health officials have repeatedly explained that the MMR vaccine is the best protection against measles. Kennedy also said his department is advising people to get the measles vaccine.
None of the measles cases so far in Pennsylvania have occurred in fully vaccinated people, according to the state dashboard.
Kennedy has a history of casting doubts on vaccines and spreading misleading claims about their safety and efficacy.
Doctors say while some may choose not to get vaccinated for religious reasons, that decision can also put others at risk, including babies too young to be vaccinated, pregnant women and people who are immunocompromised.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Health said the Lancaster County coroner is investigating one of the deaths — an infant who tested positive for measles.
CBS News Philadelphia has reached out to the coroner for more information and is waiting to hear back.
