Key facts
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, has promoted anti-vaccine rhetoric.
- Two measles-related deaths have been confirmed in Pennsylvania.
- RFK Jr. suggested these deaths may have been fabricated.
- Health officials and experts have refuted RFK Jr.'s claims.
- Approximately 424 measles cases have been reported in Pennsylvania, with 73 hospitalizations.
- The two deceased individuals were unvaccinated.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has publicly questioned the validity of two measles-related deaths in Pennsylvania, a stance that contradicts health officials and has drawn criticism from medical experts and the state's governor.
Kennedy suggested that the deaths, one of which involved a newborn, might have been "fabricated." This claim emerged after a Republican coroner in Lancaster County asserted that one of the deaths was unrelated to measles, despite the cause of death being consistent with measles complications. Kennedy's organization, Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine group he previously led, is reportedly attempting to engage with the families of those who died.
Paul Offit, an infectious diseases physician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, criticized the lack of publicly available information about the deceased patients, stating it creates fertile ground for conspiracy theories. He noted that spleen rupture, a known complication of measles, can lead to death and that the measles virus can cause an enlarged spleen. Offit also suggested that anti-vaccine activists may try to shift blame away from parents by promoting misinformation.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated it is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania has publicly called Kennedy's claims "inaccurate and misleading," urging him to promote vaccination instead of spreading misinformation. Shapiro noted that Kennedy had previously praised Amish parents in Lancaster County for not vaccinating their children and suggested returning to "natural measles."
Dr. Debra Bogen, Pennsylvania's Secretary of Health, confirmed that thorough investigations by the state's epidemiology team validated the two measles-associated deaths. One case involved a newborn who tested positive for measles, with evidence suggesting infection before birth, leading to a lacerated spleen and subsequent death. The US is currently experiencing its worst measles outbreak in three decades, with approximately 424 cases and 73 hospitalizations reported in Pennsylvania, none of whom were fully vaccinated.