Kennedy acknowledges one Pennsylvania measles death as federal tally stays unchanged
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. acknowledged on Friday that measles caused the death of an infant in Pennsylvania, citing the findings of a Lancaster County coroner, but he said the federal government was not yet prepared to add the case to national statistics.
Last month, Reuters reported, Kennedy asked for two measles-related deaths reported by Pennsylvania authorities to be removed from the CDC's national tally, questioning whether the virus was the cause. CDC staffers had already accepted the state's characterization of the deaths before Kennedy's request. Public health experts described the intervention as extraordinary political interference in a state health department's authority and an effort to minimize the risks of the highly contagious virus.
In a post on X on Friday, Kennedy wrote that he was relying on information from the coroner in Lancaster County, where the two deaths occurred. "The Lancaster County Coroner has now publicly stated that measles caused only the second infant's death and has also publicly stated that the infant had Amish lethal microcephaly," he said. Babies with that genetic condition typically live about six months, Kennedy wrote, and the infant was about two months old at death.
Kennedy said the coroner had rejected the state Department of Health's determination that both infants died from measles. Neil Ruhland, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, reiterated Friday that the state had confirmed two measles-related deaths but did not provide details or comment on Kennedy's remarks. The Lancaster coroner's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Kennedy said the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics still needed to receive and review death records. As of Friday, the national data did not reflect any measles deaths in 2026, he said. The CDC updated its website with a note saying it was re-evaluating how it classifies measles deaths, describing the work as an effort to promote consistent classification and reporting across jurisdictions. It gave no explanation for the re-evaluation.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, did not immediately respond to questions about the Pennsylvania deaths.
Measles cases have reached their highest level in more than three decades under President Donald Trump and Kennedy, his health secretary and a longtime vaccine critic who has argued that vaccines, including the measles-mumps-rubella shot, are more dangerous than the diseases they prevent. Medical organizations say Kennedy's statements and policies have increased vaccine hesitancy, making outbreaks harder to curb.