The Pennsylvania Department of Health has confirmed a grim milestone recording the fifth measles-associated death in the worst measles outbreak the state has seen in 35 years. 943 cases, 176 hospitalizations and 5 deaths have been reported in Pennsylvania. Nationally, the CDC has confirmed 3,659 cases of measles this year.
“In 2026, five Pennsylvanians have lost their lives from a disease we know how to prevent while RFK Jr. is busy grand-standing at his MAHA-palooza. The deadly impact of this outbreak on my home state breaks my heart––and frankly, pisses me off,” said Shaughnessy Naughton, President and Founder of 314 Action. “Over 900 Pennsylvanians have been sickened by a disease we declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. Five people have died, 176 people have been hospitalized and at least six babies in the state have been born with measles. These tragedies could have been prevented. RFK Jr. was confirmed Secretary of Health and Human Services in January 2025. Since then, more Americans have gotten sick with measles than in the 24 years prior. Trump and RFK Jr. are responsible for making Americans vulnerable again.”
As Pennsylvania grapples with the worst outbreak in the country, RFK Jr. has continued promoting anti-vaccine propaganda rather than using his position to combat misinformation and encourage families to get the MMR vaccine. During the ongoing outbreak, RFK Jr. appeared on behalf of Children’s Health Defense, a leading anti-vaccine organization he co-founded, and spoke at the MAHA summit alongside Vice President JD Vance and corporate leaders from UnitedHealth, Walmart, OpenAI, and Steak ‘n Shake. The summit also featured a panel moderated by Russell Brand, who faces rape and sexual assault charges in the U.K.
“Roughly one in five unvaccinated people who contract measles end up in a hospital, putting pressure on our healthcare system and driving up costs that could have been entirely avoided through vaccination,” said Naughton. “More people will get sick and more children will die if RFK Jr. continues to abdicate his responsibility as Health Secretary and rub shoulders with creeps like Russell Brand, rather than address this crisis head on. This is a public health emergency not a reality show, it’s time for RFK Jr. to resign.”