NEW YORK, NY — A Pennsylvania coroner said Wednesday that two infant deaths tied to the state’s measles outbreak had different causes, including one death that he said was directly caused by measles.
Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni said he had shared his findings with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but federal officials have not said whether they will count either death as measles-associated. The CDC website still includes a disclaimer about the cases.
The deaths have drawn national attention because they came as Pennsylvania’s outbreak kept growing and because the details became part of a sharp political dispute over vaccines and public health messaging.
Coroner identifies the infants and their separate causes of death
Diamantoni said Ivan Miller died Aug. 14 shortly after birth from a ruptured spleen. He said the boy was infected with measles, but that the virus did not cause the spleen injury. Measles appears on the death certificate as a contributing factor because it was considered a significant condition at the time of death.
Mary Stoltzfus died Aug. 18 at home at 6 weeks old. Diamantoni said she was born with a genetic birth defect that made her especially vulnerable to infection, and that measles killed her. Her condition was identified as Amish lethal microcephaly, which causes an unusually small head and underdeveloped brain.
He said his office did not perform an autopsy on the girl, and that doctors caring for her determined her cause of death.
Why the findings were released now
Diamantoni said he was making the information public because of a state right-to-know request filed by WPMT-TV, Fox 43. He told The Associated Press that he had already sent his conclusions to the CDC.
That still leaves the federal accounting unresolved. The CDC has not said whether it will list either infant death as measles-associated, and its website continues to note that the agency is reviewing additional information before updating its reporting.
The contrast between the coroner’s conclusions and the federal delay has added to public uncertainty around the outbreak data, especially as families and health officials try to understand how the deaths should be counted.
Kennedy’s comments put the deaths at the center of a bigger fight
The deaths also became part of a broader fight between Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and officials in Republican President Donald Trump’s administration. Pennsylvania announced the deaths last month, and Shapiro said vaccinations could have prevented them.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who oversees the CDC, responded by attacking Shapiro and suggesting the deaths may have been fabricated. Kennedy has also questioned previous measles death reports, including one during a period when three measles-related deaths were recorded last year.
Public health experts have said the remarks raise concerns about whether the CDC can remain trusted when its data conflicts with Kennedy’s views. American Public Health Association executive director Dr. Georges Benjamin said people were questioning the agency’s motives.
CDC website changes sharpened concerns about the federal tally
The federal website on measles has already changed several times. At one point it noted two measles-associated deaths, then was revised to say the CDC was not counting them until it reviewed additional information.
The page, last updated Friday, now says the CDC will update its reporting as more information becomes available and relevant reviews are completed. Even so, it still does not show either Pennsylvania death.
Kennedy acknowledged Diamantoni’s conclusion about one of the infants in a social media post last week, but the CDC has not formally updated its public count.
Pennsylvania’s outbreak keeps spreading across the state
While the death details remain under review, Pennsylvania’s outbreak continues to expand. State officials said Wednesday that more than 620 cases have now been reported this year across 37 counties.
Measles was eliminated as an ongoing domestic spread in the United States in 2000 after years of high vaccination coverage, but rates have slipped in recent years below the 95% level needed to block outbreaks. Health officials say infections have been rising again.
Neither infant was old enough to receive the measles vaccine, which is typically given around age 1. That fact has made the deaths a grim reminder of how vulnerable newborns and very young infants can be when the virus spreads through a community.
International review in November could affect U.S. measles status
The outbreak has broader implications beyond Pennsylvania. International health officials are scheduled to meet in November to decide whether the United States and Mexico have lost their measles-free status.
That designation depends on whether domestic spread stays under control, and the current outbreak numbers show how quickly that standing can come under pressure when vaccination rates fall. For now, Pennsylvania remains one of the states driving national concern.
Diamantoni’s disclosure adds new detail to an already closely watched public-health story, but the final federal count and the CDC’s treatment of the deaths are still unresolved.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
