After Pennsylvania health officials announced that two unvaccinated people had died from measles-associated causes, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. contacted Governor Josh Shapiro to offer federal assistance. Both men described the ensuing phone call as heated. Governor Shapiro said at a press conference that he had been “very, very blunt” with the secretary and warned that actions and rhetoric from the administration were having negative consequences in communities, specifically linking misinformation to real-life harm.
STAT reported that the deaths were the immediate catalyst for the call and for the public exchange that followed. The CDC, according to the article, is looking into the circumstances surrounding the Pennsylvania deaths.
Following the call, Kennedy used his personal X account to post a link to The HighWire, a website run by anti-vaccine activist Del Bigtree, which the article describes as containing misinformation about vaccines. He also accused Governor Shapiro of “gaslighting” and blamed declining pediatric vaccine rates on the Biden administration.
The piece notes that Kennedy has previously made public comments that cast doubt on vaccine safety and efficacy, including remarks before joining the administration that concerned the combined MMR vaccine. STAT frames these recent posts as part of a recurring pattern since Kennedy assumed his HHS role: downplaying measles severity, disputing charges that he spreads misinformation, and redirecting attention from outbreaks.
The official CDC account posted condolences for the families affected by the Pennsylvania deaths and called the MMR vaccine the “most effective protection against measles.” STAT reported that Erica Schwartz, the recently confirmed CDC director, had not made public comments about the ongoing measles outbreak or the Pennsylvania deaths as of the reporting.
Kennedy himself spoke at an event in Tampa, Fla., urging people to get vaccinated against measles and asserting that his office was “restoring faith in the public health agencies.” The article states that the CDC is investigating the deaths.
Senate health leader Bill Cassidy (R-La.) posted on social media that “no one needs to die from measles in 2026,” and urged vaccinations, saying misinformation and misguided policies are leaving children unprotected. The STAT report highlights Cassidy’s call as a direct political response to both the deaths and the public discussion around vaccination policy.
STAT also recounted that Kennedy publicly amplified disputed claims about Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine on social media and called on former Trump administration Surgeon General Jerome Adams to offer condemnation of the shot; Adams responded on X, questioning why Secretary Kennedy was engaging on what Adams called “THIS nonsense” amid the announcement of Pennsylvania measles deaths.
The article describes attempts by Kennedy and some aides, including senior White House adviser Calley Means, to downplay the measles outbreaks while promoting other administration priorities such as nutrition and fitness initiatives. A senior unnamed administration official told STAT that reexamining vaccine side effects remains a top priority for Kennedy.
STAT notes that Kennedy has sought to shift blame for falling pediatric vaccination rates toward the Biden administration and has continued public commentary that raises questions about vaccine risk and efficacy. The reporting links this approach to the broader pattern of messaging since Kennedy took the HHS post.
STAT situates the exchanges and posts within a larger public-health context: rising vaccine exemptions, measles outbreaks in several states (including a recently announced outbreak in Maryland), and the return to school season as children face renewed exposure risk.
The article references a specific disputed claim Kennedy amplified: a post by Aaron Siri alleging that Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine spread particles to the ovaries. STAT notes the ovarian-spread claim has been disputed by other sources. Kennedy’s public engagement on that claim and other vaccine-related assertions, combined with his social posts linking to anti-vaccine content, are presented as part of ongoing controversy over his role and messaging as HHS secretary.
STAT reports a sequence of events in which two measles-associated deaths of unvaccinated Pennsylvanians prompted a tense conversation between HHS Secretary Kennedy and Governor Shapiro, followed by Kennedy’s social-media activity that included linking to anti-vaccine content and public blame of prior administrations. Federal agencies such as the CDC have publicly urged vaccination and expressed condolences, while political figures called for increased vaccination and pushed back against misinformation. The article emphasizes that these actions occur against the backdrop of rising exemptions and multi-state measles activity. STAT also reports that internal administration priorities include reexamining vaccine side effects, according to an unnamed senior official.