The Lie Buried in the Truth of Measles ‘Associated’ Deaths

There is a real-life, no-kidding Measles outbreak going on in Pennsylvania. 

Also, two people died with the disease and therefore have, by Pennsylvania standards, “Measles-associated” deaths. 

Out of these two indisputable facts, a Narrative™ has been spun that deceives people, reinforces distrust in public health officials, confirms the priors of liberals and conservatives, and obscures rather than enlightens on the issue of vaccines. 

Thanks, Josh Shapiro; you just made the world worse. And all for a media hit. 

When Shapiro traipsed to Women & Babies Hospital to announce two deaths associated with Measles, he knew exactly what he was doing, and it had nothing to do with informing the public in a dispassionate and factual way about an important public health emergency — that there is a measles outbreak that has struck hundreds of people. 

It was about ginning up a fight, reinforcing the tribal message that anti-Science™ conservatives are killing children, and reminding his people that he is willing to stand up to the Neanderthals. His purpose was simple: use innuendo and the hunger in the media to push an anti-Trump/anti-RFK narrative that says they are killing women and children. 

Seen in that light, it was a cynical and smart way to get back into the news cycle. And it was profoundly dishonest, without actually telling any single lie. He let the media do that for him.

And they did. The national media led with the false claim that two people had died from measles in Pennsylvania, when we know for certain that one most certainly did not, and have reason to believe that the other case — about which Shapiro refuses to share any details at all — is not as portrayed. 

No coroner has any information on measles deaths, and the Department of Health does not determine the cause of death; coroners do. 

Two days ago, Josh Shapiro rushed to a camera to announce two “measles-associated” deaths in Pennsylvania for the first time in 30 years.

He provided no other information other than two people died, they were unvaccinated, and that it was RFK Jr’s fault for spreading… pic.twitter.com/CC1LuHBdsF

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 27, 2026

Two days ago, Josh Shapiro rushed to a camera to announce two “measles-associated” deaths in Pennsylvania for the first time in 30 years.  

He provided no other information other than two people died, they were unvaccinated, and that it was RFK Jr’s fault for spreading misinformation.  

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has now admitted in a statement to Politico that one of the two people was a newborn infant who didn’t actually die of the disease itself. 

Babies also don’t get vaccinated for measles until they are at least 1 year old.

Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Health lied and this is why the credibility of public health authorities is likely never going to recover.

Greg Price is overstating the case a bit, and when you look at the facts of what happened, it gets even worse than he portrays. 

Shapiro never “lied”; he simply threw chum in the water and let the media go wild eating up a story they couldn’t resist because RFK, Jr. is public enemy #1, anti-vaxxers are evil people, and unless everybody gets vaccinated the world will come to an end. The New York Times and everybody else ran with “died of” measles, and that is outright false. 

Correct. This is a point I have been making. The PA Sec of Health says she “thoroughly” reviewed the two cases. At the press conference they emphasized the two individuals were “unvaccinated.” The underlying assertion was that this status was by choice. We later learned that one… https://t.co/ovVvp7m4MI

— Commissioner Josh Parsons (@CommissionerJP) August 28, 2026

Correct. This is a point I have been making. The PA Sec of Health says she “thoroughly” reviewed the two cases. At the press conference they emphasized the two individuals were “unvaccinated.” The underlying assertion was that this status was by choice. We later learned that one case was the infant who died at birth. The infant obviously had no opportunity to be vaccinated. A thorough review of the case by the PA Secretary of Health would obviously reveal this. Thus, stating it the way they did is an attempt to deceive the public. If there is one attempt to deceive the public in this matter, it is fair to ask if there are other attempts.

The fact is that at least one of the deaths he was announcing was only, in the most tangential way possible, “associated” with Measles and in an infant who was not yet eligible for the vaccine that Shapiro insists would have saved its life. Shapiro left all the important facts out, including that the cause of death had nothing to do with measles. 

Shapiro implied falsehoods, but he never outright LIED. He let the media do the actual deception, knowing they wouldn’t press for details, and they had a narrative they needed to push. 

Blaming measles for a death a coroner said was caused by a lacerated spleen is stupid.

Community notes, where are ya? https://t.co/Bun4nBkLd2

— Cary Kelly (@CaryKelly11) August 28, 2026

We still know nothing about the other person who died. Not what they died of, what their age was, or anything. Not a thing.  

No coroner in PA has actually ruled any deaths in PA as caused by measles. Only coroners determine the cause of death, and none say any measles deaths have happened. 

Back in 2020, every death of a person with COVID was labeled a death FROM COVID in some states. Here in Minnesota, a man died in a motorcycle accident, and it was labeled a COVID death. This happened all the time because everybody needed a COVID panic to push their agenda. 

That is what is happening here. Measles is a political hot button. This was an easy media hit. It put a tragedy into an anti-Trump, anti-Republican context that could be spun into a national news story. 

And it worked. 

The problem is that public health dilemmas are real, and we should discuss them rationally, with all the facts on the table. Turning them into political footballs is, obviously, a disaster for any number of reasons, not the least of which is that people can and do lose trust in what they are told by public health officials, and they should, as we saw during COVID.

Governor Shapiro slyly got the media frenzy going by dropping some chum in the water: “deaths associated with measles.” Not deaths with measles. Not deaths because of measles. Just “associated with.” It’s the same trick played with the person who died in a motorcycle accident, with COVID being labeled as a COVID death. 

None of this means people shouldn’t get a measles shot. I would. It’s almost certainly a smart thing to do, although by now I have less confidence in anything a public health official says than I did six years ago. 

But what it does mean is that politicians and public health officials have contempt for people and their ability to think critically and use reason to make decisions with true information. They do not believe in self-government. 

No doubt Shapiro, should he choose to run for president, will do so on a platform of “saving democracy.”

Editor’s Note: The mainstream media continues to gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.

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