A girl born in Pennsylvania with a rare neurological disorder called Amish lethal microcephaly died of measles at around 6 weeks of age, the Lancaster County coroner said Friday.
“The condition is severe and predisposes those infants to respiratory infections that could ultimately lead to their death,” Dr. Stephen Diamantoni told CNN.
The case is one of two reported measles-associated deaths in the state that sparked a heavily politicized back and forth among federal and state officials about what’s considered a death from measles. As of Friday, the two deaths are not included on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s measles death count for 2026.
Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported the girl’s death – as well as that of a newborn who died from a ruptured spleen and tested positive for measles – as “measles-associated.” They are the first measles-associated deaths reported in the state in 35 years.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health uses “measles-associated” when laboratory or epidemiologic evidence of measles is present but the official cause of death is under investigation. Diamantoni said it is not a category his office recognizes.
