RFK Jr. acknowledges Pennsylvania infant died from measles

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has acknowledged that a six-week-old Pennsylvania infant died from measles, citing Lancaster County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni. The admission follows a political dispute with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who accused Kennedy of interfering with CDC data. While the state health department reports two measles-related deaths amid an outbreak of 577 cases, federal data still lists zero 2026 measles deaths as the CDC re-evaluates its classification standards.

Pennsylvania measles infant death

• ▪A forensic pathologist determined that the first of two reported infant deaths in Pennsylvania was caused by a ruptured spleen, rather than measles
• ▪Lancaster County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni confirmed on September 4, 2026, that a six-week-old infant who died in August 2026 in Pennsylvania died from measles
• ▪U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. acknowledged on September 4, 2026, that measles caused the death of one infant in Pennsylvania, citing the Lancaster County coroner's findings
• ▪The six-week-old infant who died of measles in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was born with Amish lethal microcephaly, a rare genetic condition that typically results in death within six months

Kennedy-Shapiro political dispute

• ▪Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro of politicizing the infant deaths before underlying causes were established by coroners
• ▪Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro accused Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of directing the CDC to exclude two Pennsylvania measles-related deaths from federal data to sow doubt

CDC death classification review

• ▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its website on September 4, 2026, stating it is re-evaluating how it classifies and reports measles deaths across jurisdictions
• ▪The National Center for Health Statistics did not reflect any 2026 measles deaths in its official national data as of September 4, 2026

Pennsylvania measles outbreak scale

• ▪The two reported fatalities in Pennsylvania represent the state's first measles-related deaths in 35 years and the first in the United States in 2026
• ▪Pennsylvania health officials reported that the state's measles outbreak has sickened 577 people and hospitalized 98 as of September 4, 2026

Kennedy's anti-vaccine record

• ▪Public health experts stated that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s request to remove Pennsylvania's reported measles deaths from the CDC tally constituted extraordinary political interference
• ▪Medical organizations state that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s public statements and policies, including efforts to reduce recommended childhood immunizations, have increased vaccine hesitancy

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