Measles death undercuts RFK Jr.’s doubts

Kennedy now acknowledges a Pennsylvania infant died from the virus, but the death still isn’t reflected in CDC data Published September 6, 2026 3:00PM (EDT) President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are promoting a health agenda with less vaccines. The reality of those goals are catching up as previously preventable diseases like measles are spreading fast throughout the U.S. (Jim WATSON / Getty Images) Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has acknowledged that measles caused the death of a Pennsylvania infant, days after reports revealed that he asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to remove two deaths in the state from its national measles tally. Kennedy said Friday that the Lancaster County coroner had determined measles caused the death of a 6-week-old infant in August. “The facts emerging now demonstrate why CDC waited for the evidence rather than allowing political grandstanding to dictate its reporting,” Kennedy wrote on social media. The facts emerging now demonstrate why CDC waited for the evidence rather than allowing political grandstanding to dictate its reporting. Governor Shapiro, by contrast, politicized these two tragic deaths before the underlying causes had been established. The Lancaster County… https://t.co/VnXuAoMM3C — Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) September 4, 2026 The acknowledgment comes after Reuters reported that Kennedy directed CDC Director Erica Schwartz to remove references to two Pennsylvania deaths from the agency’s national measles count after questioning whether the disease contributed to them. CDC staff had previously accepted Pennsylvania’s characterization of the deaths as associated with measles, according to Reuters. The Lancaster County coroner has now determined that measles caused one infant’s death. The child was born with Amish lethal microcephaly, a rare genetic disorder associated with a severely shortened life expectancy, and had been receiving palliative care since shortly after birth. Lancaster County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni said the underlying condition made the infant especially vulnerable to severe illness after contracting measles. “The child contracted measles, and measles caused the death of the child,” Diamantoni told The Washington Post. Pennsylvania health officials had reported two measles-associated deaths, the first such deaths in the state in 35 years. The CDC has not yet included the Pennsylvania deaths in its national tally while it reviews the records and develops standardized criteria for classifying measles deaths. The dispute comes amid the worst U.S. measles outbreak in more than three decades. More than 3,100 cases have been confirmed nationally this year, including hundreds in Pennsylvania, which is experiencing the country’s largest ongoing outbreak. Start your day with essential news from Salon. Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course. Kennedy, who spent years promoting vaccine skepticism before becoming Trump’s health secretary, had previously questioned whether the Pennsylvania deaths were connected to measles and accused state officials of politicizing them. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has accused Kennedy of interfering with public health reporting and called on him to accurately include the deaths in federal data. Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported our Commonwealth’s first two measles-associated deaths in 35 years. Then, instead of listening to the real doctors and public health experts, RFK chose to sow doubt, play politics, direct the CDC not to acknowledge these… https://t.co/loom4e3gYo — Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) September 4, 2026 The CDC says it will update its national count as additional records are received and reviewed. Related Topics ------------------------------------------ Related Articles