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Days after Pennsylvania health officials reported two measles deaths, a public dispute has emerged about whether other factors played a role in the fatalities.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) confirmed the two “measles-associated” deaths on Tuesday, noting that both individuals were unvaccinated.
These were the state’s first measles-related deaths in 35 years, according to the release.
On Wednesday, the DOH revealed that one of the deaths was a newborn baby from Lancaster County. That confirmation came after the county coroner — physician Stephen Diamantoni — said the newborn died shortly after birth from a lacerated spleen and had tested positive for measles acquired before birth, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Diamantoni’s office was still investigating the newborn’s death, and the coroner said he was not aware of the other reported death, Axios reported.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health stated that not all deaths are referred to a coroner under state law.
The DOH says it 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 affect the spleen, potentially causing enlargement and, in rare cases, rupture, according to Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst.
Pregnant women, newborns and young infants can face a higher risk of serious measles complications, the doctor noted.
Infants who are too young to receive the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine can be especially vulnerable.
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HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has questioned whether Pennsylvania officials provided sufficient information to substantiate the two measles-associated deaths.
In a Wednesday post on X, after the coroner’s comments were made public, Kennedy alleged that Pennsylvania had not given the CDC relevant information and suggested the deaths could have been “fabricated.”
“The announcement appears to have been premature, and the deaths may even have been altogether fabricated by one of the Governor’s hopeful staffers,” he wrote. “The Lancaster County Coroner says that it has no record of any measles deaths.”
RFK also accused Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his office of “fearmongering, misinformation, finger-pointing and the weaponization of infectious disease fears for political gain.”
“The Lancaster County Coroner says that it has no record of any measles deaths.”
Meanwhile, at a Tuesday press conference, Shapiro said the deaths showed the “real-life consequences” of misinformation about the measles vaccine.
In a subsequent X post, the governor claimed Kennedy had “stoked confusion amongst parents and others — and the result has been less protection from measles and more cases.”
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In response to Kennedy’s comments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also spoke on X about the debate, expressing appreciation for RFK’s efforts to “clarify conflicting information” about the cause of the two reported deaths.
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“CDC is working to determine what actually occurred,” the agency wrote. “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.”
“Under President Trump’s and Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, CDC will follow the facts and tell the American people the truth.”
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 morning.
In an X post from the Pennsylvania Department of Health account, Bogen said she had reviewed the case investigations and that state epidemiologists had thoroughly investigated both deaths. She confirmed that both individuals tested positive for measles.
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Meanwhile, Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons said he did not believe there was enough evidence to confirm the two deaths were caused by measles, citing information he said he received from the county coroner’s office, according to Local21 News.
What does ‘measles-associated’ mean?
Siegel noted that measles weakens the immune system and increases the risk of pneumonia, which can stem from measles itself or from a secondary bacterial infection.
“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 told Fox News Digital.
When a patient has both measles and another immediate cause of death, several considerations come into play when infectious disease specialists are determining whether the virus was a contributing factor.
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“It has to do with whether the immediate cause of death is from measles itself, as in measles pneumonia, or due to damage to the immune system and secondary infections or other diseases that result,” Siegel said.
Lancaster County is at the center of Pennsylvania’s current measles outbreak. As of Friday, the state had reported 424 confirmed cases and 73 hospitalizations.
Fox News Digital reached out to the involved government officials requesting comment.
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