What We Know About Pennsylvania’s Two ‘Measles-Associated’ Deaths

Pennsylvania's health department announced two 'measles-associated' deaths in Lancaster County on Aug. 25, both unvaccinated residents, and called them the state's first measles-related deaths in 35 years. The Lancaster County coroner's office said it had no record of any measles deaths, though it knew of one infant who tested positive for measles and died of a ruptured spleen — a pathologist reportedly found measles was not the cause.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., already sparring with Gov. Josh Shapiro over MMR vaccine claims, seized on the discrepancy to suggest a Shapiro staffer may have 'fabricated' the deaths. Pennsylvania's health secretary insisted she'd reviewed the case files and stood by the announcement, while the department later clarified that 'measles-associated' can include deaths where measles wasn't the assessed immediate cause.

No information about the second death has been released, and the state has cited privacy concerns for withholding details. An outside expert noted the state and coroner may simply be answering different questions — but nobody in Harrisburg bothered to explain that before the vacuum filled itself with speculation.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.