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Pennsylvania officials report two measles-associated deaths in Lancaster County; coroner and state health department dispute cause-of-death classification
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Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and state Health Secretary Debra Bogen announced two measles-associated deaths of unvaccinated Lancaster County residents, described as the first such deaths in the state in 35 years. Lancaster County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni subsequently told local media and a county commissioner that his office had no record of measles deaths; one case involved an infant who died from a lacerated spleen and tested positive for measles, but the forensic pathologist did not attribute the death to measles. The state health department maintained that both deaths were measles-associated and that its health secretary had reviewed the case information. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the announcement may have been premature or that the deaths may have been fabricated by a staffer, while Democratic officials and others called for his resignation, citing his history of anti-vaccine rhetoric. The CDC has recorded 2,777 measles cases nationally in 2026, and Pennsylvania has confirmed 393 cases across 28 counties.
