What to know about the dispute between RFK Jr. and Gov. Shapiro over 'measles-associated deaths'
Here's a timeline of how federal public health officials went from offering Pennsylvanians their condolences to questioning whether the deaths occurred.
This dispute centers on whether two measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania were directly caused by the virus. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called the deaths "possibly fabricated," sparking a public debate. The state health department described the deaths as measles-associated, while a county coroner said measles was not the sole cause of death in one case.
The term "measles-associated death" is used by state health departments to track outbreaks, not to assign cause to individual deaths. The lack of clarity and missing details about the specific cases has fueled misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Written by urgent.news from PBS NewsHour Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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