Health Secretary Kennedy disputes media reports on recent measles deaths amid rising cases

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the media and some politicians were exaggerating the significance of two recent measles deaths in Pennsylvania, describing them as "so-called measles deaths." He noted that only three measles deaths have occurred in the United States over the past decade and suggested the focus on infectious disease threats was disproportionate.

Public health experts countered that the rarity of measles fatalities is a direct result of the near-universal use of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Dr. Jake Scott, a clinical professor of infectious diseases at Stanford University, wrote on social media that before widespread vaccination the country lost 400-500 people to measles each year, with tens of thousands of hospitalizations.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed two measles-related deaths among unvaccinated individuals, the first such deaths in the state in 35 years. Governor Josh Shapiro said he had spoken with Kennedy, emphasizing that the rhetoric from the current administration was harming communities across the nation.

Kennedy responded on social media, suggesting the state might have fabricated the cases for political reasons, a claim the state health department denied, stating the deaths had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The outbreak follows a surge in measles cases under the Trump administration, reaching the highest level since 1991, and three unvaccinated people died from measles last year, the first U.S. measles deaths since 2015. Kennedy reiterated that the MMR vaccine is safe and attributed the increase in cases to declining vaccination rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, when public confidence in health institutions waned.