Measles has claimed two lives in Pennsylvania, marking the state’s first fatalities linked to the disease in 35 years and the first reported measles deaths in the United States in 2026. Both deaths occurred in unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County, according to state health officials, and one of them was a newborn baby.
The fatalities emerged during a major outbreak in Pennsylvania that has reached nearly 400 confirmed cases. Nationally, the picture is equally concerning: the US has recorded close to 2,800 cases so far this year, the highest count since 1991. Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease, and the surge coincides with declining immunization rates across the country.
Health Secretary’s Response Draws Scrutiny
As news of the deaths spread on Tuesday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used his personal X account to criticize the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and shared a link to a hardline anti-vaccine website run by a longtime ally. His posts also targeted Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who has publicly criticized Kennedy’s vaccine stance, and attributed national declines in vaccination rates to the previous administration.
On Wednesday, after reports confirmed that one of the deaths involved a newborn, Kennedy shifted to his official account as US health secretary. He suggested the deaths “may even have been altogether fabricated” by a staffer connected to the governor, citing a claim from a Lancaster County Republican commissioner who stated there had been “zero measles deaths” reported in the county.
What the Coroner and Experts Say
The Lancaster County Coroner, Stephen Diamantoni, publicly stated that a newborn who tested positive for measles died shortly after birth from a ruptured spleen. He said a pathologist “did not feel it was related to measles,” adding that he did not know when the baby died or whether the mother was infected, and that he had not been in contact with state health officials.
Paul Offit, a vaccine and pediatric infectious disease expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, offered a different assessment. He explained that the measles virus can be transmitted in the womb or shortly after birth and can cause the spleen to enlarge and rupture. Offit said that if measles was not responsible for the ruptured spleen, the coroner should provide an alternative explanation.
Offit noted that he had been in contact with state officials about the deaths. Based on the information he received, he concluded that “these patients would not have died were it not for measles.” The two deaths represent the first measles-linked fatalities recorded in Pennsylvania since 1991.
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Image: arstechnica.com
