Shapiro accuses Kennedy of antivaccine conspiracy theories amid measles surge

Pennsylvania reports fourth measles death; U.S. 2026 cases reach 3,294

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has accused Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of promoting antivaccine conspiracy theories that he said have fueled outbreaks, as the state announced a fourth measles-associated death — its first such fatalities in 35 years.

“That’s four total measles-associated deaths in our Commonwealth and the first Pennsylvania has seen in 35 years,” Shapiro said Tuesday in a social media post. “These are tragedies, and four families are grieving.”

The two newest deaths were reported separately. Over the weekend, a coroner in Pennsylvania’s Jefferson County said a 40-year-old woman there died from complications from measles. The Mifflin County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday said an 18-year-old resident died due to measles complications. The state health department said it worked with local coroners’ offices to determine that both individuals tested positive for measles and that the deaths didn’t result from an unrelated cause.

The two latest deaths follow those of two infants in the state’s Lancaster County in mid-August amid a growing measles outbreak. The state health department’s classification of those earlier deaths spurred a highly politicized debate over vaccinations and public sparring between Shapiro and the nation’s health secretary.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pennsylvania has reported nearly 700 cases of measles since the outbreak began earlier this year. Across the U.S., 3,294 measles cases have been reported so far in 2026 — the highest level in three decades and about 1,000 cases higher than all those reported in 2025.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not classified the first two measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania as related to the virus. On the agency’s website, an asterisk sits in place of a number, with a note stating the CDC is working to determine a standardized definition for measles deaths.

The climbing case counts come as the Trump administration shifts the nation’s vaccine policy and backs away from vaccine recommendations. Declining vaccination rates in recent years have fueled measles outbreaks across the country, making communities more vulnerable to the spread of the highly contagious virus.

The case counts also threaten the nation’s measles-elimination status, a designation the country earned more than two decades ago through widespread vaccination efforts. Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, known as MMR, are 97% effective at preventing the disease. Before the vaccine was introduced in the 1960s, measles killed around 400 to 500 people in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC.

As a significant measles outbreak hit West Texas last year, officials reported three measles-associated deaths, two of which were among children — the first measles-related fatalities in the U.S. in a decade.