Two people die from measles in Pennsylvania outbreak

Two unvaccinated people have died from measles in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, marking the first U.S. measles deaths in 2026. The tragedy has intensified calls for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign. While Kennedy blames COVID-19 lockdowns for falling immunization rates, critics point to his history of anti-vaccine rhetoric. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confronted Kennedy over his statements and declined his offer of federal assistance.

Pennsylvania measles outbreak deaths

• ▪Two unvaccinated people died from measles in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in August 2026, marking the first measles deaths in the United States in 2026 and the first in Pennsylvania in over three decades.
• ▪The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed 393 measles cases across 28 counties in Pennsylvania as of August 2026, amid a nationwide total of 2,777 confirmed cases.

RFK Jr. anti-vaccine influence

• ▪U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. previously promoted false claims that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine was not safely tested and contains aborted fetus debris and DNA particles.
• ▪U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. blamed the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns for the current measles surge, claiming lapses in vaccination records from six years ago reduced current immunization rates.

Declining childhood vaccination rates

• ▪According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, U.S. kindergarten vaccination coverage fell from 95.2 percent in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4 percent in the 2025-2026 school year.
• ▪The decline in U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates to 92.4 percent drops the population below the 95 percent threshold required to maintain herd immunity against measles.

Calls for Kennedy resignation

• ▪Democratic Maryland Senator Angela Alsobrooks and Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock publicly called for U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign or be fired.
• ▪Shaughnessy Naughton, president of the pro-science organizing group 3.14 Action, urged U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign, accusing him of spreading dangerous vaccine skepticism.

Shapiro-Kennedy clash over federal assistance

• ▪Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro stated that he had a blunt conversation with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding the negative impact of the administration's vaccine rhetoric.
• ▪Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro declined an offer of federal assistance from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during their discussion about the Pennsylvania measles outbreak.

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