BETHLEHEM, Pa. — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday that Pennsylvania’s governor refused federal help with the state’s measles outbreak, the same day the CDC said it is sending one of its scientists there.
The exchange renews a dispute between Kennedy and Gov. Josh Shapiro over how the nation’s worst measles outbreak in 30 years is handled and counted. Pennsylvania has reported six measles deaths. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has acknowledged two.
Asked at an event in Virginia about the outbreak and its deaths, Kennedy said Shapiro’s administration was “politicizing the outbreak” and that “the people of Pennsylvania suffered,” according to video C-SPAN posted on X.
“I’m confident that we’ll bring that outbreak to a quick close,” Kennedy said.
The dispute over aid
Kennedy said Pennsylvania was the only state whose governor would not accept Epi-Aid, a CDC program that sends federal disease investigators to help a state. He said state officials told the federal government they did not want help from the Trump administration. “This week we finally got the request from Pennsylvania,” he said.
Shapiro said at an Aug. 25 news conference announcing the state’s first two deaths that Kennedy had called that morning to offer staff. He said he appreciated the offer but believed the Department of Health could manage the outbreak, and that he told Kennedy his rhetoric was hurting Pennsylvania communities.
“There’s real-life consequences to spreading misinformation,” Shapiro said.
The state’s timeline since then differs from Kennedy’s. In a September update, the Department of Health said it began the formal process of requesting Epi-Aid on Sept. 16 and that talks with the CDC on what help to provide were ongoing. It also said it has “a strong working relationship with CDC professional staff.” The department’s release did not say whether it later completed the request.
What the CDC is sending
A CDC “disease detective” from its Epidemic Intelligence Service is due to arrive later this week, NBC News reported, citing a CDC spokesperson, and will be the agency’s first in-person help in the state. The CDC is also releasing nearly $4 million for the response.
Where the outbreak stands
Pennsylvania has at least 1,222 confirmed cases and 225 hospitalizations, NBC reported. The CDC lists two of the six deaths on its measles website and calls the others “under review.”
In the Lehigh Valley
The state Health Department’s dashboard, last updated Oct. 14, lists two cases in Lehigh County and none in Northampton County, by county of residence. Lancaster County, where the outbreak is centered, has 443 of the state’s 1,222.
Lehigh County also had two cases on Aug. 3, when St. Luke’s University Health Network announced what it called its first Lehigh Valley case in recent memory. Allentown and Bethlehem run their own health bureaus, whose counts can differ from the state’s.