Measles Death Dispute: RFK Jr. Questions Pennsylvania's Two Deaths as Coroner Raises Concerns

Pennsylvania's health department announced two measles deaths on a Tuesday in late August—the state's first in thirty-five years. Both individuals were unvaccinated. By Wednesday, the specifics began to fracture.

One death was a newborn from Lancaster County. The child had tested positive for measles acquired in the womb and died shortly after birth from a lacerated spleen, according to the county coroner, physician Stephen Diamantoni. His office was still investigating. Diamantoni said he had no knowledge of the second reported death. Under Pennsylvania law, not all deaths are automatically referred to a coroner, which explained the gap in his records.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health uses the term "measles-associated" when laboratory or epidemiologic evidence of measles is present, even if a coroner or medical certifier does not identify measles as the immediate cause of death. Measles can damage the spleen, potentially causing enlargement and, in rare cases, rupture. Newborns and young infants face heightened risk of serious complications from the virus, and infants too young for the MMR vaccine are especially vulnerable. The distinction between measles as a direct cause and measles as a contributing factor matters enormously in how deaths are classified.

Within hours of the coroner's public comments, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted on X that Pennsylvania had not provided the CDC with relevant information and suggested the deaths could have been "fabricated." He accused Governor Josh Shapiro's office of "fearmongering, misinformation, finger-pointing and the weaponization of infectious disease fears for political gain." Kennedy claimed the Lancaster County coroner had no record of any measles deaths.

Shapiro had framed the deaths at a Tuesday press conference as evidence of the "real-life consequences" of vaccine misinformation. In a subsequent post, he said Kennedy had "stoked confusion amongst parents and others—and the result has been less protection from measles and more cases." The governor and the HHS secretary were now in direct conflict over what had actually happened.

The CDC entered the dispute on X, saying it was working to determine what occurred and expressing appreciation for Kennedy's efforts to "clarify conflicting information." The agency noted that the Governor's Office had not provided relevant information about the outbreak and had declined offers of assistance. Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen responded that the two deaths had been reported to the CDC's measles response team early Tuesday morning and that state epidemiologists had thoroughly investigated both cases. Both individuals had tested positive for measles, she confirmed.

Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons said he did not believe there was sufficient evidence to confirm the deaths were caused by measles, citing information from the county coroner's office. The medical question at the center of the dispute is whether measles weakens the immune system enough to be considered a contributing cause of death when another immediate cause—like a lacerated spleen—is present. Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, explained that if the impact of measles on the immune system or stress on other organs leads to death, that constitutes a measles-associated death. The determination depends on whether the immediate cause stems from measles itself or from damage to the immune system and secondary infections.

As the officials disputed the deaths, Lancaster County remained at the center of Pennsylvania's measles outbreak. By Friday, the state had reported 424 confirmed cases and 73 hospitalizations. The outbreak was still spreading, and the question of how many people had actually died from it had become a flashpoint in a larger argument about vaccine safety, public health authority, and political trust.