U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pressured CDC Director Erica Schwartz to remove two Pennsylvania measles deaths from the agency's official tally, sparking a public feud with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Schwartz complied with the request, marking an unprecedented departure from the CDC's protocol of accepting state-level health determinations. The dispute highlights tensions over Kennedy's long-standing anti-vaccine stance amid a resurgence of measles, with Pennsylvania reporting 540 cases in 2026.
Kennedy CDC death exclusion
- ▪CDC Director Erica Schwartz agreed to and implemented U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s request to exclude the two Pennsylvania deaths from the federal measles tally
- ▪Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Grace Davis Jamison stated the CDC requested details to determine if measles caused the deaths, citing conflicting reports between county and state officials
- ▪The CDC excluded the Pennsylvania deaths from its August 30, 2026 website update, adding a note that available information did not establish whether measles caused or contributed to the fatalities
- ▪U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked CDC Director Erica Schwartz to remove a reference to two Pennsylvania deaths from the agency's online measles tally
Kennedy-Shapiro measles dispute
- ▪U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro publicly traded accusations on social media, accusing each other of politicizing the state's measles outbreak
- ▪Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during an August 25, 2026 phone call that Kennedy's past statements encouraged vaccine conspiracy theories and misinformation
- ▪On August 26, 2026, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro of withholding information and questioned if the reported measles deaths were fabricated
- ▪The Pennsylvania health department refused to share health records containing personally identifiable information with the CDC, citing legal barriers, but offered to provide de-identified data
CDC protocol departure
- ▪Georges Benjamin, chief executive of the American Public Health Association, stated it is unprecedented for the CDC to publicly question the death determinations of state and local health departments
- ▪U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. requested the removal of the Pennsylvania deaths after CDC staff had already accepted the state's characterization of the deaths as measles-linked
Pennsylvania measles outbreak scale
- ▪The Pennsylvania health department reported 540 measles cases in the state during 2026
- ▪The Pennsylvania health department notified the CDC of two measles-associated deaths of unvaccinated individuals on August 25, 2026
Kennedy anti-vaccine record
- ▪U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has historically promoted claims that vaccines are more dangerous than the diseases they prevent, despite scientific evidence showing the MMR vaccine provides 97% protection
- ▪U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has sought to minimize the impact of rising U.S. measles cases, which have reached their highest level in over three decades, by casting doubt on reported deaths
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