A Pennsylvania county commissioner is disputing Governor Josh Shapiro’s recent announcement regarding two measles-associated deaths. This dispute is contributing to increasing tension with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as the state’s measles outbreak reaches 460 confirmed cases across 31 counties.

Joshua Parsons, one of the Lancaster County commissioners, accused Shapiro of being deliberately misleading in his statements about the deaths in the county. Parsons stated, “The governor framed these as measles deaths, which was misleading,” during an interview with Fox News Digital.

At a recent conference held at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Hospital, Shapiro alerted the public to the deaths of two unvaccinated individuals. He emphasized, “This illness and death from measles are completely preventable,” urging residents to get vaccinated.

However, Parsons revealed that his talks with the Lancaster County Coroner indicated no such deaths had occurred in the county. The coroner, Dr. Stephen Diamantoni, confirmed he had not been approached by either the governor or the state health department and was unaware of these claims. He cited a case involving an infant with measles as an example and stated that the infant’s death wasn’t caused by measles.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health clarified that it has consistently described the cases as “measles-associated” rather than directly caused by measles. They noted that while laboratory evidence confirmed measles presence, it was not necessarily the immediate cause of death.

Kennedy was vocal about his dissatisfaction with Shapiro’s remarks. He criticized the announcement as playing into political tactics and accused it of promoting misinformation. He highlighted that the coroner’s office had no death records attributed to measles.

As of now, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has confirmed the state’s largest measles outbreak since 1991. Most cases affected unvaccinated individuals, often within religious communities like the Amish and Mennonites. Parsons emphasized the availability of vaccines while respecting individual choices regarding vaccination.