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Dr. Terry Simpson - The Unfiltered MD

Dr. Terry Simpson - The Unfiltered MD

Pennsylvania Measles Outbreak

Sep 1, 2026 · 16 min · 10 segments

Pennsylvania is approaching 500 measles cases and has already seen 87 hospitalizations, yet public officials are arguing over whether two measles-associated deaths should count. At the center is a…

Pennsylvania is approaching 500 measles cases and has already seen 87 hospitalizations, yet public officials are arguing over whether two measles-associated deaths should count. At the center is a Lancaster County family whose pregnant mother became seriously ill with measles and whose newborn son died after birth with measles infection in his lungs and a ruptured spleen. This is the same playbook we saw during COVID: minimize the disease, question the vaccine, then explain away the complications. Meanwhile, measles keeps spreading. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.drsimpson.com/subscribe

Pennsylvania is approaching 500 measles cases and has already seen 87 hospitalizations, yet public officials are arguing over whether two measles-associated deaths should count. At the center is a…

Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube Website

Speakers: Terry SimpsonHost

Top entities: MMR vaccine×14 Pennsylvania×11 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.×3 Lancaster County×6 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention×4

Show signals: SuitabilitySafeBiasNot politicalAudience≈1.2M followers

The COVID Denial Playbook0:29 – 1:31

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:29

We saw it during COVID, remember? First, the disease wasn't that dangerous.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:34

It's just the flu.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:35

It's just a cold.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:36

Some people even argued because influenza virtually disappeared for a while during the pandemic, COVID must have somehow been influenza dressed up under another name.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:44

Of course, influenza went down.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:46

Schools were closed.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:47

People were masking.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:48

International travel collapsed.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:49

We changed human behavior on a scale we had never seen before.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:53

But that didn't stop people from saying COVID really wasn't COVID.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:57

And then came the second part of the playbook.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:59

When people died, we heard they didn't die from COVID.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:02

They died with COVID.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:03

Maybe they had heart disease, diabetes, blood clots, pneumonia.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:07

Maybe the hospital killed them.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:08

Anything except COVID.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:10

And then came the vaccine argument.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:12

The disease isn't that dangerous.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:14

The vaccine might be dangerous.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:15

Vaccine causes this, causes that.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:18

So if the disease isn't really dangerous, then the vaccine might harm you.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:22

Why would you vaccinate? That is an extraordinarily effective way to make people hesitate.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:28

And now we're watching a version of that playbook with measles.

MMR vaccineEntityVaccine
97%14 mentions
PennsylvaniaAdministrative AreaUS state
91%11 mentions
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.PersonUnited States Secretary of Health and Human Services
85%3 mentions
Lancaster CountyAdministrative AreaCounty in Pennsylvania
79%6 mentions
Centers for Disease Control and PreventionGovernment OrganizationGovernment agency
74%4 mentions
United States Secretary of Health and Human ServicesEntity
68%1 mention
Josh ShapiroPersonGovernor of Pennsylvania
62%4 mentions
Death certificateEntity
56%1 mention
United StatesCountryCountry in North America
50%3 mentions
subacute sclerosing panencephalitisEntityInflammation
44%1 mention
Republican PartyOrganizationPolitical party
38%2 mentions
The AtlanticPeriodicalMagazine
32%1 mention
Bill GatesPersonAmerican businessman and philanthropist
26%1 mention
Polymerase chain reactionEntityDiagnostic test
21%1 mention
MississippiAdministrative AreaUS state
15%2 mentions
AmishEntityPeople
9%3 mentions
New MexicoAdministrative AreaUS state
3%1 mention

Public PerceptionHealth > Public Health > Vaccination > COVID-19
Impact on FamiliesHealth > Epidemiology > Disease Outbreaks > Measles
Health PolicyPolitics > Public Policy
Vaccination PolicyPolitics > Public Policy > Health Policy
EpidemiologyHealth
Disease OutbreaksHealth > Epidemiology
Public HealthHealth
ComplicationsHealth > Public Health > Infectious Diseases > Measles
Vaccine HesitancyHealth > Public Health > Vaccination > Measles
Community HealthPolitics > Public Policy > Health Policy > Vaccination Policy
Infectious DiseasesHealth > Public Health
Public PolicyPolitics
VaccinationHealth > Public Health
COVID-19Health > Public Health > Vaccination
MeaslesHealth > Public Health > Infectious Diseases
MeaslesHealth > Public Health > Vaccination
Politics
Health
MeaslesHealth > Epidemiology > Disease Outbreaks

The COVID Denial Playbook0:29 – 1:31

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:29

We saw it during COVID, remember? First, the disease wasn't that dangerous.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:34

It's just the flu.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:35

It's just a cold.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:36

Some people even argued because influenza virtually disappeared for a while during the pandemic, COVID must have somehow been influenza dressed up under another name.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:44

Of course, influenza went down.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:46

Schools were closed.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:47

People were masking.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:48

International travel collapsed.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:49

We changed human behavior on a scale we had never seen before.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:53

But that didn't stop people from saying COVID really wasn't COVID.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:57

And then came the second part of the playbook.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

0:59

When people died, we heard they didn't die from COVID.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:02

They died with COVID.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:03

Maybe they had heart disease, diabetes, blood clots, pneumonia.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:07

Maybe the hospital killed them.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:08

Anything except COVID.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:10

And then came the vaccine argument.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:12

The disease isn't that dangerous.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:14

The vaccine might be dangerous.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:15

Vaccine causes this, causes that.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:18

So if the disease isn't really dangerous, then the vaccine might harm you.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:22

Why would you vaccinate? That is an extraordinarily effective way to make people hesitate.

T

Terry SimpsonHost

1:28

And now we're watching a version of that playbook with measles.

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