HHS Opens Public Comment on Cell Phone Radiation as RFK Jr. Headlines Anti-Vaccine Conference During Deadly Measles Outbreak

Since the Lancaster County outbreak began in April, Pennsylvania's measles case count has climbed to 719, spread across 38 of the state's 67 counties, with 117 new cases reported in a single week recently, according to cityandstatepa.com. The death toll now stands at four, all in unvaccinated adults or a teenager, following the confirmation of two more fatalities this week by county coroners.

Two Kennedy stories collided this week

On September 17, HHS issued a formal request for information on electromagnetic field exposure, including radiofrequency radiation from cell phones and wireless devices, according to the Epoch Times. Kennedy wrote that concern about EMF exposure "has increased, particularly in relation to children, schools, and long-term cumulative exposure," and said the scientific literature is "extensive, technically complex, and not always easy for policymakers" to interpret. Public comments open September 21 and run for 30 days; HHS says it will release a report this fall.

The same day, at a Washington conference for Children's Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group Kennedy once chaired, he told a cheering crowd "you have a strong and steadfast friend at the White House," according to both CNN and The Guardian. Kennedy spoke for close to 40 minutes without directly addressing the measles outbreak until near the end, when he said, "In our country we care about rare illnesses and deaths. We care about every child who dies from measles. They get headlines. I'd ask you to care about children who are dying or suffering or being injured by vaccine injuries," per The Guardian.

The EMF push has a real legal backstory

Kennedy's interest in wireless radiation isn't new. As a lawyer, he was involved in a 2021 case against the FCC that led the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to rule the agency's decision to keep 1996 radiation limits in place was "arbitrary and capricious" because the FCC "failed to provide a reasoned explanation" for its safety guidelines, according to the Epoch Times. Children's Health Defense has since filed a new case arguing the FCC still hasn't complied with that order; the agency has until later this month to respond. The FCC's own website currently states "no scientific evidence currently establishes a definitive link between wireless device use and cancer or other illnesses." Kennedy said filings that led to the 2021 win included more than 10,000 studies, and that "there are still gaps in knowledge, and we're filling those."

The vaccine claims are a different story

At the conference, Kennedy described "vaccine-injured children" as "damaged" and claimed diabetes, sudden infant death syndrome, and anorexia can be side effects of routine vaccines, and said the system for tracking such effects is "broken," according to The Guardian. None of the sources reviewed here present peer-reviewed evidence supporting those specific claims, and Kennedy did not cite studies for them in his remarks. He maintained he has not restricted vaccine access: "We have not taken vaccines away from anyone. We have preserved access, but we have started asking the questions that you and millions of American parents have been asking for years," he said, per CNN.

Andrew Wakefield, whose 1998 study linking the MMR vaccine to autism was retracted in 2010 and whose medical license was revoked, spoke immediately before and after Kennedy at the event, and referenced Trump's suggestion of splitting the MMR shot into three separate doses.

The Shapiro fight over who counts the dead

Gov. Josh Shapiro called Kennedy "incompetent" this week and accused him of personally directing the CDC not to report Pennsylvania's measles deaths, writing on X that it was "deeply concerning to learn that the Secretary personally intervened in an otherwise administrative process," according to cityandstatepa.com. Kennedy denied it, saying "Governor Shapiro's claim that I directed CDC to suppress Pennsylvania deaths is false. CDC is applying a consistent national standard rather than allowing politicians to decide which d—" (the statement was cut off in reporting). The CDC's national dashboard still shows no 2026 measles deaths recorded, stating the National Center for Health Statistics "does not currently have any death records from 2026 that indicate measles is the underlying cause," even though Pennsylvania county coroners have confirmed four measles-associated deaths this year. Neither side's account of why that gap exists has been independently verified in available reporting.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week found 1 in 4 Americans now believe the MMR vaccine is unsafe for children, down from 84% confidence in the shot in 2020, per cityandstatepa.com. The Guardian reports a majority of Americans disapprove of the administration's handling of the outbreak, which has now killed at least seven people nationally when Texas and Arizona deaths from last year are included.

The FCC's response to the Children's Health Defense lawsuit, due later this month, and HHS's promised fall report on EMF exposure are the next concrete markers to watch. Whether the CDC's national dashboard updates to reflect Pennsylvania's coroner-confirmed measles deaths remains an open question neither agency has resolved.