00:00I stand before you with a heavy heart to discuss news that no public health
00:04official and no physician ever wants to deliver. As you heard the governor say
00:09earlier today the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported that two
00:13Lancaster County residents with measles have died. Out of respect for their
00:18privacy we will not be releasing additional personal details. Protecting
00:24the confidentiality of residents is a core responsibility of the Department
00:28of Health. My deepest sympathies go out to the families, friends, and communities
00:33who are mourning the death of these residents. So far this year there have
00:39been 393 confirmed cases of measles in Pennsylvania. That is the highest number
00:46of measles cases since 1992. Nearly 20% of those cases have resulted in someone
00:55being hospitalized. I want to be clear this illness and death from measles is
01:03completely preventable. We already have the tools to protect ourselves and our
01:08families from this disease which is one of the most contagious diseases on the
01:13face of the earth. I do worry about the US Health Secretary or anyone else maligning a
01:21particular community or neighborhood or county in Pennsylvania and it goes back
01:25to the answer I just gave to your colleague. Part of the reason why I was late is I've
01:32been sitting out in the parking lot talking to Secretary Kennedy who reached out to
01:36me this morning and while I appreciate his willingness to offer staff to assist us we
01:44think we're able to manage this through the Department of Health. I was very very blunt with
01:49him and I made very clear that his actions and and and the rhetoric that's coming from this
01:58administration are having a negative impact on communities across America particularly
02:04right here in Pennsylvania. That there's real life consequences to spreading misinformation.
02:11There's real life consequences to scaring people and not relying on actual doctors and actual
02:19medical professionals to provide unbiased information to parents so that we can make reasonable decisions
02:27for our kids.
