In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the state Department of Health announced Tuesday that two unvaccinated individuals died after testing positive for measles. The deaths are the first measles‑related fatalities in the Commonwealth in 35 years.

Coroner’s findings raise questions

County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni reported that one of the victims, a newborn, died shortly after birth from a lacerated spleen and had measles antibodies indicating infection before delivery. Diamantoni’s office is still investigating the cause of death and said it had no record of the second reported death.

Pennsylvania law does not require every death to be referred to a coroner, and the Department of Health explained that it uses the term “measles‑associated” when laboratory or epidemiologic evidence of measles is present, even if the immediate cause of death is different.

RFK Jr. challenges the official narrative

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who leads the Department of Health and Human Services, posted on X that the state had not provided the CDC with all relevant information and suggested the deaths could have been “fabricated.” He wrote, “The announcement appears to have been premature, and the deaths may even have been altogether fabricated by one of the Governor’s hopeful staffers.” Kennedy also accused Governor Josh Shapiro of “fearmongering, misinformation, finger‑pointing and the weaponization of infectious disease fears for political gain.”

Governor defends the data

Shapiro responded at a press conference, saying the fatalities illustrate the real‑life consequences of vaccine misinformation. In a follow‑up X post, he claimed Kennedy’s comments were “stoking confusion amongst parents and others – and the result has been less protection from measles and more cases.”

CDC and state health officials weigh in

The CDC acknowledged the debate, thanking Kennedy for “clarifying conflicting information” while noting it is still reviewing the cases. A statement from the agency read, “CDC is working to determine what actually occurred. These discrepancies raise important questions, particularly because the Governor’s Office has not provided CDC with information relevant to the outbreak and has declined our offers of assistance.”

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen disputed the CDC’s account, saying the two deaths were reported to the agency’s measles response team early Tuesday and that state epidemiologists had thoroughly investigated both cases, confirming positive measles tests.

Medical context

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel explained that measles can enlarge the spleen and, in rare instances, cause rupture. He noted that pregnant women, newborns and infants too young for the MMR vaccine are especially vulnerable to severe complications, including pneumonia and secondary bacterial infections.

Siegel emphasized that when a patient has both measles and another immediate cause of death, specialists must determine whether the virus was a contributing factor. “If the impact of measles on the immune system or stress on other major organs as a result of the disease leads to death, that would be a measles‑associated death,” he said.

Outbreak status

Lancaster County remains at the center of Pennsylvania’s current measles outbreak. As of Friday, the state reported 424 confirmed cases and 73 hospitalizations.

Local officials, including Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons, expressed uncertainty about the cause of the deaths, citing the coroner’s statements. Fox News reached out to the involved officials for comment.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.