Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. escalated a public feud with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro this week over two measles-related deaths, accusing the Democratic governor of political theater.
The dispute erupted Tuesday, minutes after a heated phone call between Kennedy and Shapiro, when Pennsylvania health officials announced the state's first measles deaths in 35 years — two unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County, including a newborn who died hours after a midwife-assisted birth, reported the Washington Post.
Shapiro told reporters he informed Kennedy the state did not want additional federal help, then accused the health secretary of "sowing confusion" about vaccines and contributing to the disease's return.
Kennedy responded on social media, calling Shapiro's press conference an "unseemly rush" driven by "giddy delight" and framing the announcement as a "morose commentary on the contemporary political dialogue."
The two have since traded accusations of fearmongering, with Kennedy's office pointing to a CDC social media post that said the agency stood ready to help Pennsylvania and faulted the state for declining assistance — an account Pennsylvania officials dispute.
A Washington Post analysis found left-leaning political influencers discussing measles roughly five times more often than right-leaning figures this week, the highest volume since last year's Texas outbreak.
Kennedy, who founded a prominent anti-vaccine organization before becoming Health secretary, has a lengthy record of disparaging vaccines, including a 2021 appearance in Lancaster County where he called himself a "measles survivor" and touted chicken soup and vitamin A.
As HHS secretary, he has said vaccination is "the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles," though public health experts say Kennedy has undercut that message by falsely claiming the vaccines lack adequate safety testing.
However, even some infectious-disease experts critical of Kennedy have criticized Shapiro's administration, saying state officials should have released more detail from the outset to prevent misinformation from filling the gaps.
“A vacuum in public health information never stays empty — it gets filled by whoever moves fastest and cares least about accuracy,” said Amesh Adalja, an infectious-disease physician in the Pittsburgh area. “The state and Gov. Shapiro’s communication failures and opacity invited RFK Jr and his allies in by engraved invitation and they now control the narrative while an unchecked measles outbreak spreads throughout the state.”
Lancaster County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni announced Thursday that the pathologist who autopsied the newborn did not believe measles caused the death and notified the state health department before Shapiro's announcement, but state health officials have said they classify any death as "measles-associated” when the virus is present.
Pennsylvania has recorded 424 measles cases this year, part of a national outbreak on pace to be the worst since 1991.