Pennsylvania Commissioner Questions Governor's Framing of Measles Deaths Amid Outbreak

<p>A Pennsylvania county commissioner is challenging Governor Josh Shapiro’s announcement of two measles-associated deaths, amid a growing outbreak in the state that has reached 460 confirmed cases across 31 counties. Joshua Parsons, one of three Lancaster County commissioners, accused Shapiro of being intentionally "deceptive" during a press conference earlier this week, when the Democratic governor referred to two "measles-related deaths" in the county.</p><p>During a Tuesday press conference alongside Dr. Debra Bogen at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Hospital, Shapiro announced the deaths of two individuals who were unvaccinated for measles. "Today, we see the consequences of a lack of immunizations in the first measles-associated deaths that our Commonwealth has seen in 35 years," Shapiro stated.</p><p>Shapiro urged Pennsylvanians to get vaccinated for measles, emphasizing that the illness and death from measles is preventable. Parsons, however, contended that Shapiro framed the deaths as being directly caused by measles. He noted that national media outlets, including The New York Times, reported the deaths as being from measles.</p><p>According to Parsons, conversations with the Lancaster County Coroner indicated that nobody in the county has died from measles this year. "The coroner reported that they don't have… they had zero measles deaths or measles associated-deaths reported. And in Pennsylvania, if you have someone who dies of a contagious disease, that does have to be reported to the county coroner," Parsons explained.</p><p>The coroner, Dr. Stephen Diamoantoni, has stated in interviews that he had not been contacted by either Shapiro or the Pennsylvania Department of Health regarding the deaths. He mentioned one case of an infant who died in a home birth, which was associated with measles but not caused by it. At the time of the press conference, the state did not specify the identities of the two cases.</p><p>The Pennsylvania Department of Health asserted that it consistently referred to the cases as "measles-associated." In a statement, the department clarified that it did not describe the cause of death for either individual and that the term "measles-associated" indicates that there was laboratory or epidemiologic evidence of measles present, although it may not have been the immediate cause of death.</p><p>The coroner acknowledged the presence of measles in the infant who died but stated that neither he nor the pathologist believed measles to be the cause of death. Parsons noted that the infant died from a lacerated spleen and that he has not received information about the second individual mentioned by Shapiro.</p><p>Parsons expressed concerns about the lack of reporting for the second death, stating that if it occurred in Lancaster County, it should have been reported. He suggested that if the second death happened outside the county, it should be clarified by the state.</p><p>Kennedy criticized Shapiro’s comments, suggesting that the announcement was premature and that the deaths may have been fabricated. He stated that the Lancaster County Coroner has no record of any measles deaths and emphasized that state law requires all measles deaths to be reported to the coroner.</p><p>As of Friday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 460 confirmed measles cases across 31 counties, marking the largest measles outbreak in the nation since 1991, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The majority of those infected are unvaccinated, with much of the outbreak occurring in religious communities that choose not to vaccinate.</p><p>In response to a request for comment, Shapiro’s office referred inquiries to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The New York Times expressed confidence in the accuracy of its reporting.</p>