Josh Shapiro falsely blames baby’s death on RFK Jr, measles vaccine hesitancy—coroner says infant died from ruptured spleen

On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Health Department had said that there were two deaths in the state that were "measles-associated" but did not say if the two deaths were actually from measles. During the press conference, Shapiro said that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been "spreading misinformation" about vaccines and "sharing conspiracy theories" about vaccines that lead to these consequences.

That turned into a spat between Kennedy and Shapiro online, where Kennedy accused the governor of "gaslighting" and Shapiro responding that Kennedy's various claims about vaccines are "inaccurate and misleading."

In a post, Shapiro stated, "In Pennsylvania, 70 people who have tested positive for measles have been hospitalized this year — and yesterday, our @PAHealthDept announced that two Pennsylvanians who tested positive for measles have died. According to doctors and medical experts, the MMR vaccine is the best way to protect yourself, your kids, and your community against measles. But we have seen vaccination rates decline on RFK’s watch."

At the time of the press conference, no information was given about the deaths. But the Pennsylvania Department of Health later said in a post to social media that the Lancaster County Coroner stated that their office was "reviewing an infant death with a positive measles test." The child, who was a newborn, would not have been vaccinated. Children generally do not get the measles vaccine until they are over 12 months old, or 6 months if they are traveling abroad, meaning vaccine hesitancy would have nothing to do with the death.

On Wednesday evening, Lancaster County coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni said that the baby died from a ruptured spleen shortly after birth from internal hemorrhage. He said he found evidence of measles in the infant's lungs, per NBC News.

The Pennsylvania Health Department has not provided details surrounding the second death, but said the second person was also unvaccinated. If the second death is indeed linked to measles instead of just being "associated," it would be the first measles death in the US this year and the first death from measles in Pennsylvania in 35 years.