RFK Jr. Faces Backlash Over Anti-Vaccine Posts After First U.S. Measles Deaths of 2026, Including Newborn

Pennsylvania outbreak has reached nearly 400 cases; national total is highest since 1991

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By LineZotpaper

Published28 August 2026

Read Time3 min

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing sharp criticism after responding to the first U.S. measles deaths of 2026 — including a newborn — with a series of anti-vaccine posts on social media. The two deaths, both in unvaccinated individuals in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, are the state's first measles fatalities in 35 years and come amid a nationwide surge of nearly 2,800 cases.

The two deaths were confirmed by Pennsylvania health officials on Tuesday, but they initially declined to provide details. On Wednesday, news broke that one of the victims was a newborn baby. The other was an adult. Both were unvaccinated.

The state is in the midst of an explosive outbreak that has reached nearly 400 confirmed cases, contributing to a nationwide total of roughly 2,800 measles cases so far this year — the highest since 1991. The U.S. had not recorded a measles death in 2026 before these fatalities.

Instead of expressing condolences or urging vaccination, Kennedy — a longtime vaccine skeptic who now leads the Department of Health and Human Services — used the moment to amplify anti-vaccine rhetoric and misinformation, according to a report from Ars Technica. His social media activity drew immediate rebuke from public health experts and lawmakers, who called the posts dangerous and heartless given that a newborn was among the victims.

Kennedy has a long history of questioning vaccine safety and has made false or misleading claims about immunizations, including debunked links between vaccines and autism. Since taking office, he has at times moderated his public stance, but his recent posts mark a return to his earlier advocacy, the report said.

Public health officials stress that measles is highly preventable and that the two-dose MMR vaccine is safe and effective, reducing the risk of infection by more than 97%. Infants too young to be vaccinated rely on herd immunity — meaning widespread vaccination in the community protects them. The death of a newborn, experts noted, underscores the stakes of falling immunization rates.

Pennsylvania health officials have urged residents in affected areas to vaccinate and have ramped up testing and contact tracing. Federal health agencies have not issued a coordinated national response, with Kennedy's rhetoric cutting against the standard public health guidance.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not yet commented on Kennedy's posts, but its longstanding position is that the MMR vaccine is safe and that measles can be serious or fatal, especially in young children.

Critics argue that Kennedy's platform gives dangerous misinformation a national stage at a moment when public trust in vaccines is fragile. Supporters of Kennedy say he is raising legitimate questions about vaccine safety and individual choice, but his claims have been repeatedly contradicted by scientific evidence.

The measles outbreak has been fueled by declining vaccination rates in several states, including Pennsylvania, where exemptions for school-age children have risen in recent years. Health officials say the outbreak may not peak for several more weeks.

The two deaths are a reminder that measles, once considered eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, can return and kill when vaccination coverage slips.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The first U.S. measles deaths of 2026 show that declining vaccination rates have real, lethal consequences, especially for infants too young to be vaccinated.
A sitting health secretary using a public health emergency to spread anti-vaccine messages could further erode vaccine confidence and worsen the outbreak.
The national case count, already the highest in 35 years, may continue climbing if vaccination gaps are not addressed.

Background

Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, meaning sustained transmission had been stopped. That status has been threatened in recent years as vaccination rates have declined, driven in part by a well-funded anti-vaccine movement. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been a central figure in that movement for decades, promoting false claims linking vaccines to autism and other harms.

After his confirmation as Health Secretary, Kennedy faced scrutiny over whether he would use his authority to undermine federal vaccination programs. He had appeared to moderate some positions, but his response to the Pennsylvania deaths marks a stark return to form. Pennsylvania's outbreak began earlier this year and has spread rapidly in communities with low immunization coverage, particularly in Lancaster County, where a large number of exemptions have been documented.

Key Perspectives

Public health officials: The MMR vaccine is safe, highly effective, and the most reliable way to prevent measles. They stress that deaths like these are preventable and urge families to vaccinate on schedule.

RFK Jr. and vaccine skeptics: They argue for vaccine choice and question the safety of immunizations, often citing rare adverse events and mistrust of government mandates. Kennedy's comments frame the deaths as a reason to scrutinize vaccines rather than to embrace them.

Critics: They accuse Kennedy of using a dead newborn to advance an agenda contradicted by decades of evidence. They worry that his position gives pseudoscience legitimacy and will lead to more outbreaks and preventable deaths.

What to Watch

Whether Pennsylvania's outbreak expands beyond Lancaster County and how long it takes to peak.
If other states with low vaccination rates begin reporting cases or deaths, the national resurgence could accelerate.
Whether Congress or public health agencies push back publicly on Kennedy's messaging, and if any federal response is coordinated.
Updated CDC case counts over the coming weeks to see if the national total exceeds the 1991 level.

Sources

RFK Jr. goes full anti-vaccine bananas over two measles deaths—one was a newborn — Ars Technica - All content