Pennsylvania Coroner Confirms 6-Week-Old Infant Died of Measles in 577-Case Outbreak
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 4
Pennsylvania Coroner Confirms 6-Week-Old Infant Died of Measles in 577-Case Outbreak
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 4
Summary
A Lancaster County coroner said a 6-week-old Amish infant who died Aug. 18 at home was killed by measles, making it the first death in Pennsylvania’s outbreak he has directly attributed to the virus.
Measles caused respiratory illness and low oxygen, and the baby’s rare genetic disorder — Amish lethal microcephaly — made the child especially vulnerable to severe disease and death, the coroner said.
The coroner added that another newborn who tested positive for measles died from a spleen laceration hours after birth on Aug. 14, with the pathologist finding the virus did not contribute.
The confirmation sharpens a dispute over Pennsylvania’s reporting after state officials announced two measles-associated deaths, while CDC weekly tallies have excluded them and critics questioned possible political interference.
Pennsylvania has the nation’s largest active measles outbreak, with at least 577 cases since late April, as the U.S. records its highest measles count in 35 years.