Lancaster County Coroner Confirms Measles Caused Death of 6 Week Old Baby

The Lancaster County coroner confirmed Friday that a six week old baby girl died from measles. The infant had Amish lethal microcephaly, a genetic condition causing underdeveloped brains and smaller heads that typically limits survival to about six months. While the condition predisposes infants to respiratory infections, Coroner Stephen Diamantoni stated that measles was the cause of death. This case is one of two infant deaths reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as measles associated, marking the first such reports in the state in 35 years.

A second case involving a newborn boy has led to a dispute over the cause of death. The state health department labeled the death as measles associated, but the coroner determined the cause was a lacerated spleen and not measles. The newborn's mother and midwife believed the death was caused by measles, as the mother had a severe infection herself. This discrepancy has fueled a political debate. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed the state may have fabricated the deaths, a claim that center leaning reports describe as being without evidence.

Public health experts suggest the deaths may indicate a larger outbreak than officially reported. As of Friday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 577 cases, all among individuals who had not received both recommended doses of the MMR vaccine. Dr. Paul Offit noted that infants are particularly vulnerable because they typically do not receive their first vaccine dose until one year of age, though this can be moved up to six months during an outbreak.