Key facts
- A 6-week-old Amish girl in Pennsylvania died from measles, confirmed by the county coroner.
- The infant also had a genetic condition, Amish lethal microcephaly.
- This is believed to be one of two measles-associated infant deaths reported by the state.
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had publicly questioned the validity of these deaths.
- Governor Josh Shapiro criticized Kennedy for disputing the tragedies and sowing doubt.
A six-week-old baby girl in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, died from measles, the county coroner confirmed on Friday. The infant also had a genetic condition known as Amish lethal microcephaly, which significantly shortens lifespan. Despite this, Coroner Stephen Diamantoni stated that measles was the cause of death.
This death is believed to be one of two measles-associated infant fatalities announced by the state health department. The controversy surrounding these deaths was amplified when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed, without evidence, that the state may have fabricated them. Diamantoni's initial statement that he had not received the death reports at the time of the state's announcement seemingly fueled Kennedy's claims.
Governor Josh Shapiro publicly criticized Kennedy for sowing doubt about the tragedies, stating it was 'long past time for RFK to stop playing games with people’s lives.'
The second reported death involved a newborn baby boy from an Amish family in Lancaster County. While the baby tested positive for measles and had evidence of infection in his lungs, the coroner determined the cause of death was a ruptured spleen, asserting measles did not contribute. Experts like Paul Offit have challenged this assessment, suggesting measles could have made the spleen vulnerable to rupture, and noted the rarity of such ruptures in newborns without an underlying cause like measles.
Following Kennedy's involvement, the CDC reportedly removed the deaths from its public-facing data, though they remain in internal databases. The CDC's public data now includes a note stating the National Center for Health Statistics does not have records indicating measles as the underlying cause for 2026 deaths, a change from previous wording.