Measles outbreak in Pa.

The first measles-related deaths in Pennsylvania in 35 years were announced last week by Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. One of the victims was an infant. That news sparked a battle between the governor and U.S. Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and has led to a lot of public confusion.

The deaths were in Lancaster County, the epicenter of Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak. Shapiro said that both people who died were unvaccinated, but the Lancaster County coroner’s office says that infant tested positive for measles but died of a ruptured spleen. The dispute is also around terms “measles-associated” and “measles-related” and how the state has used them to classify deaths.

Conservative critics accuse Shapiro of using the deaths for political gain. And with vaccine hesitancy and distrust in public health institutions on the rise, many worry this latest public feud will just sow more confusion and skepticism.

Meanwhile, measles cases nationwide have hit their highest level in 35 years, a shocking surge for a preventable disease once thought to be eliminated in the U.S. Infections have already surpassed last year’s total. And many blame HHS Sec. Kennedy for this increase, accusing him of stoking vaccine fears. 

Today, we’ll get two perspectives on the controversy in Lancaster from two county commissioners and we’ll talk about the growing measles epidemic and why vaccine hesitancy is accelerating.

Guests:

• Alice Yoder, Lancaster County democratic commissioner  
• Josh Parsons, Lancaster County republican commissioner 
• Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and an attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia