LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons accused Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Health of deceiving the public when it announced there were two “measles-associated” deaths in the county.
The county coroner confirmed to CBS 21 that one such death was an infant who suffered a lacerated spleen. The infant reportedly tested positive for measles, but the forensic pathologist found no evidence that the spleen was enlarged or inflamed from the disease.
No details have been released on the second reported death, and the coroner’s office said it has no reports of any other deaths from measles. This has prompted Parsons to call on the DOH to release more information.
When asked about these discrepencies on Friday, Shapiro dismissed them as “conspiracy theories.”
READ MORE | Gov. Josh Shapiro says he won’t get into ‘conspiracy theories’ about measles outbreak
“If the governor disputes [the coroner’s] finding, he has a responsibility to say why in a clear, transparent way, rather than dismiss it. Nothing prevents him from doing so.” Parsons wrote Saturday. “We have presented hard evidence and been transparent. They have presented none and have been the opposite of transparent. They essentially just say: we reviewed the cases and trust us they are measles. Nothing else.”
Shapiro said the Department of Health has released “all the information that they’re permitted under state law to share.”
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Debra Bogen said in a statement that the CDC’s measles response team was notified early Tuesday morning about the two reported deaths.
However, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the CDC have claimed that Pennsylvania has not cooperated or shared information with them.
“The CDC has cooperated with every governor, but the state of Pennsylvania has told us it does not want to cooperate with us,” Kennedy said during a Fox News town hall that aired Saturday. “So, it will not give us information, they’re making claims that nobody can validate.”
Shapiro and Bogen both said that Pennsylvania has been cooperating with the CDC and has received all the help it needs from the federal government.
As of Friday, there have been 460 total measles cases reported in Pennsylvania, with 210 reported in Lancaster County.