RFK Jr. responds after coroner confirms measles death in Pennsylvania
- Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has admitted that a six-week-old infant in Pennsylvania died from measles, reversing his earlier claims that reports of measles deaths may have been fabricated.
- Lancaster County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni confirmed measles caused the infant’s death, while clarifying that a second reported infant death in the county was caused by a ruptured spleen rather than measles.
- The admission follows sharp criticism from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who urged the health secretary and the CDC to accurately report measles deaths on national dashboards.
- Kennedy had previously asked the CDC director to remove references to the Pennsylvania deaths from the agency’s online tracker while awaiting coroner confirmation.
- The United States has recorded over 3,100 measles cases in 2026, representing the highest annual total in three and a half decades, with Pennsylvania accounting for more than 500 cases.
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