The Shapiro administration’s politically convenient measles narrative is rapidly falling apart.
On Tuesday, Shapiro and Bogen stood at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health’s Women and Babies Hospital and announced two unvaccinated Lancaster County residents had died in “measles-associated” cases. They refused ages, locations, underlying conditions, or whether either death was actually certified as measles. They did release vaccination status — because that was the political payload.
Shapiro called the deaths “completely preventable,” blamed vaccine “misinformation,” and used the moment to scold Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after a phone call Shapiro himself described as “blunt.” He is running for re-election in November. The timing was not subtle.
Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni told local reporters his office handled no measles deaths. What his office is investigating is a newborn who tested positive for measles antibodies after death and died from a lacerated spleen.
The forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy “did not feel it was related to measles,” Diamantoni said. The office is still looking at whether the mother had measles at the time of birth. There is no enlarged spleen noted on the autopsy, which undercuts the usual measles-complication story.
Diamantoni also told ABC27 by email that “no deaths attributed to measles have been referred or investigated by the office.”
Read:
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not mince words.
“Governor Shapiro’s unseemly rush to Lancaster County to convene a national press conference and his giddy delight in announcing two measles deaths was a morose commentary on the contemporary political dialogue. The performance was a replay of the Democrats’ COVID playbook: fearmongering, misinformation, finger-pointing, and the weaponization of infectious disease fears for political gain.
“The announcement appears to have been premature, and the deaths may even have been altogether fabricated by one of the Governor’s hopeful staffers. The Lancaster County Coroner says that it has no record of any measles deaths. State law requires that all measles deaths be reported to the coroner.
“Governor Shapiro shattered tradition and violated standard public health policy by refusing to share information with the County Health Department or CDC. …
“Governor Shapiro got his headlines. He correctly gambled that the slavish mainstream media would dutifully amplify his scolding without any effort to check his facts.”
Kennedy also said CDC staff still cannot independently confirm the two deaths because Pennsylvania will not share the case files the way other states have during this outbreak.
Governor Shapiro’s unseemly rush to Lancaster County to convene a national press conference and his giddy delight in announcing two measles deaths was a morose commentary on the contemporary political dialogue. The performance was a replay of the Democrats’ COVID playbook:… https://t.co/LvZf3br1dB
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) August 26, 2026
Late Wednesday, Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen posted a lengthy statement on the Pennsylvania Department of Health account. She said she had “thoroughly reviewed the case investigation information” and could “sadly confirm” two measles-associated deaths. Both individuals tested positive for measles, she said.
The cases were allegedly reported to the CDC’s measles team on Tuesday morning, contradicting Secretary RFK Jr.’s claim that the Shapiro administration was refusing to share information with the County Health Department or the CDC.
“As a pediatrician with more than 30 years of caring for children, I have thoroughly reviewed the case investigation information and sadly can confirm that there were two recent measles-associated deaths in Lancaster County, which were reported to the CDC’s measles response team early Tuesday morning.
DOH’s Epidemiology team thoroughly investigated and verified both individuals tested positive for measles. The information was not reported to the public until the results of the epidemiological investigations were confirmed.
Under state law, PA DOH is not required to report deaths to coroners.Our staff have regular meetings with professional staff at the CDC, including additional meetings specifically about these cases — in fact, as recently as this afternoon. I deeply appreciate the supportive working relationship between the PA DOH and CDC professional staff.
As a pediatrician, public health professional, and mother, my heart goes out to the impacted families and I have, and will continue to do, everything in my power to protect their confidentiality.”
“As a pediatrician with more than 30 years of caring for children, I have thoroughly reviewed the case investigation information and sadly can confirm that there were two recent measles-associated deaths in Lancaster County, which were reported to the CDC’s measles response team… https://t.co/leNgbePKEe pic.twitter.com/fJ9c1SalWW
— PA Department of Health (@PAHealthDept) August 27, 2026
Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons quickly dismantled that response.
“This appears to be false information,” Parsons wrote.
“For the 1st case they are pointing to an infant that died WITH measles, but not FROM it.”
Parsons then cited Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni:
“Lancaster County Coroner Steve Diamantoni said the cause of death was not from the measles. The newborn died shortly after birth from a laceration of the spleen, although measles antibodies were present in postmortem testing.”
Parsons continued:
“The 2nd case there is zero information on. They have a responsibility to provide it. Lastly, deaths from contagious disease such as measles ARE required to be reported to the county coroner.”
This appears to be false information.
For the 1st case they are pointing to an infant that died WITH measles, but not FROM it. From our coroner:
“Lancaster County Coroner Steve Diamantoni said the cause of death was not from the measles. The newborn died shortly after birth… https://t.co/CYi0PVbI72
— Commissioner Josh Parsons (@CommissionerJP) August 27, 2026
The Philadelphia Inquirer independently reported that the infant’s primary cause of death was a laceration of the spleen. Diamantoni said the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy did not believe the death was related to measles.
In other words, the state counted an infant who tested positive for measles after death, even though the county coroner said the child did not die from the disease, and then presented the case to the public as one of Pennsylvania’s first measles-related deaths in 35 years.
The Health Department later admitted that it uses the term “measles-associated” whenever laboratory or epidemiological evidence of measles is present, even if the disease is not determined to be the immediate cause of death.
“PA DOH uses the term ‘measles-associated’ when laboratory or epidemiologic evidence of measles is present, but the disease may not be assessed by the medical certifier or coroner to be the immediate cause of death,” the administration acknowledged, according to CBS 21.
Sound familiar? It should. This is the same “died WITH vs. died FROM” shell game Democrats and public-health bureaucrats ran for years during COVID
That is a massive distinction that the Shapiro administration failed to emphasize before the media blasted the politically useful “measles deaths” narrative across the country.
“It seems like they are now walking that back,” Parsons told CBS 21.
Bogen’s sweeping assertion that state law does not require the Health Department to report deaths to coroners is false.
Pennsylvania law specifically lists deaths “known or suspected as due to contagious disease and constituting a public hazard” among the cases county coroners are directed to investigate, according to the CDC’s summary of Pennsylvania coroner statutes.
If a patient dies from a communicable disease in a hospital, the medical facility or attending physician is expected to report that death to the local coroner if county guidelines deem it a public health hazard.
The Gateway Pundit previously reported that U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called out the massive discrepancies and the state’s sudden refusal to share basic factual data.
RFK Jr.: “We are trying to get information about those two casualties. According to a statement that was released by the Lancaster County Commissioner today, they cannot find any measles deaths in Lancaster County, and they complain that the governor will not give them that information.
“CDC tried to get that information from the governor yesterday, and the state is refusing to cooperate. We’re doing a better job than any country in the world at controlling the measles outbreak. This is a worldwide epidemic, and it’s happening because of the lockdowns, because many kids did not get vaccinated during the lockdowns.”
Parsons also noted that outreach to Penn Medicine LGH, the Governor’s office, and local public safety directors yielded absolute silence or a total lack of answers. What are they hiding?
Parson wrote: “When officials who hold a big press conference and make big headlines – those officials owe us more than the headlines. They owe us the whole truth. They owe us accurate information by which the people of Lancaster County can make decisions about their health and safety.
It has been about 24 hours since the press conference. We do not have any answers.
[…]
Any deaths from measles are required by law to be reported to the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office. I have spoken at length with both a senior staff member from that office and the Coroner himself. They currently have zero measles deaths in Lancaster County. They have one death of a person who died WITH measles, but not from measles. We do not know if the state is counting that one. Nor do we know anything about the other death that officials reported yesterday.
Is there an unlikely scenario where a patient from here got measles and sought care outside of Lancaster County and died there and it was reported to another county coroner? Yes. I am open to that or other unlikely possibilities. But if one of these unlikely scenarios is the case, the people holding the press conference had, and currently have, a responsibility to provide that information.
The law DOES allow release of more information. Demographic information that does not identify the patient may be released.
I reached out to Penn Medicine LGH. No response.
I reached out the Governor’s office. No response.
I talked with our Lancaster County Department of Public Safety Director. He has no additional information from the state.
I asked questions this morning at our Board of Commissioners meeting of Commissioner Alice Yoder who was at the press conference yesterday and is a former official at Penn Medicine LGH. She did not have any answers. (This exchange is on video and will be available later today.)
WATCH:
NEW – Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons: “I spoke at length this morning with the coroner himself, and they have zero cases of measles deaths … They had one patient who died with measles, not of measles.” pic.twitter.com/l9hmxSZ65q
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) August 26, 2026
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