Shapiro, on Wednesday morning, blamed Kennedy for the decrease in vaccination across the country and in Pennsylvania because of his skepticism toward the measles, mumps, and rubella or MMR vaccine.

“Secretary Kennedy’s actions to dismantle public health agencies and his language that undermines confidence in vetted medical guidance are contributing to these kinds of outbreaks,” Shapiro said on social media.  

The measles outbreak in Pennsylvania comes as Shapiro is in the midst of his reelection campaign for governor in November. His rhetoric in the clash with Kennedy echoes that of other Democrats on the national stage who have been critical of the Trump administration’s handling of measles outbreaks across the country since 2025.

Shapiro’s X post came in response to a post from Kennedy on his personal account Tuesday evening in which Kennedy provided an account of how aborted fetal cell lines were used to develop MMR vaccines. He said there are “approximately 646 billion pieces of human DNA from an aborted fetal cell line” in each vial of the MMR vaccine, which Shapiro said has been disproven by scientists and medical researchers.

Kennedy, in his post, recounted a private conversation he had with Shapiro prior to the televised news conference announcing the deaths. Kennedy said Shapiro “accused me of promoting vaccine misinformation” and “faulted me for the decline in Pennsylvania’s vaccination rates.” 

Shapiro’s account of the conversation, however, painted Kennedy as unhelpful during the call, after the governor said he would appreciate it if Kennedy would “stop spreading misinformation.”

According to Shapiro, Kennedy “launched into a tirade” about fetal tissue cell lines in the MMR vaccine, “blaming the previous administration” for low vaccination rates, and endorsing “natural measles.”

“Unfortunately at a time where I needed the top ‘health expert’ in the nation to responsibly work with us to deal with this outbreak, he instead chose to go down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and false claims,” Shapiro said.

Kennedy says Shapiro “won’t cooperate”

During a press gaggle in Florida on Wednesday, Kennedy responded to the governor’s X post, saying Pennsylvania is the only state that has refused federal assistance in dealing with its ongoing measles outbreak. 

“Every place there’s been a measles outbreak, I’ve sent the CDC in to cooperate with the state health agencies, and we’ve brought it to an end overnight,” Kennedy said. “The only state that won’t cooperate with us is Pennsylvania, and we can’t get any information.”

Kennedy on Wednesday also said that the drop in MMR vaccinations among children was likely caused by aggressive lockdown policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Kennedy cited that MMR vaccination rates among children have dropped in Pennsylvania from 97% in 2020 to 92% at the start of this school year, but the rate of decline in vaccinations has slowed since President Donald Trump took office. 

“We are actually restoring faith in the public health agency so people will take our advice, and our advice is that people should get the measles vaccination,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy also alluded to the Amish and Mennonite communities in Lancaster County and throughout Pennsylvania that are opposed to vaccines and other medical interventions for religious reasons, saying that “we want to take care of those kids as well.” 

In Lancaster County, the MMR vaccine rate among incoming kindergarteners is only 87%, Shapiro said during the press conference on Tuesday.

Shapiro, in his X post and during the press conference on Tuesday, said he supports parental choice in vaccination but encouraged all parents to consult with trusted healthcare providers about vaccine decisions. 

“Parents have the right to make their own decisions about how to keep their kids safe and sort through the noise to figure out which information to trust,” Shapiro said.

Measles deaths called into question

The controversy between Shapiro and Kennedy has also caused some to speculate whether or not the two reported deaths in Lancaster were caused by measles infections or whether they died from another cause while having the infection.

Shapiro and Department of Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen refused during Tuesday’s press conference to identify the demographic information of the two measles deaths, such as age or whether they were part of the Amish or Mennonite religious communities.

The refusal has led Kennedy and other Republicans to question the veracity of Shapiro’s announcement of the deaths.

Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons, a strong supporter of the MAGA movement, posted on X Wednesday morning that the county coroner’s office cannot confirm two people in their jurisdiction have died as a result of measles. 

“I have spoken at length with both a senior staff member from that office and the Coroner himself,” Parsons said. “They currently have zero measles deaths in Lancaster County.”

Pennsylvania Department of Health Press Secretary Neil Ruhland told the Washington Examiner, “not all deaths are referred to a coroner under Pennsylvania law.”

“Both individuals were unvaccinated and tested positive for measles,” Ruhland said. “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.”

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Kennedy cited Parsons’ statement during the press gaggle on Wednesday, adding that “CDC tried to get that information from the governor yesterday, and the state is refusing to cooperate. 

“We’re trying to figure out whether you know who those deaths were and whether they actually happened, and we can’t figure that out yet,” Kennedy said on Wednesday.