Measles Deaths Spike as Kennedy Blames Lockdowns, Not Vaccine Misinformation

The U.S. has recorded its first measles deaths of 2026—an infant and an adult in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania—amid a surge that has topped 2,777 cases nationwide, the highest total in 35 years. The Pennsylvania deaths, both in unvaccinated individuals, mark the first measles fatalities in the state since 1991.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promptly blamed the outbreak on COVID-era lockdowns, claiming vaccination lapses in 2020 caused the current crisis. His...