RFK Jr. Acknowledges 1 Pennsylvania Measles Death After Coroner Ruled on 6-Week-Old Infant
Updated
Updated · Salon · Sep 4
RFK Jr. Acknowledges 1 Pennsylvania Measles Death After Coroner Ruled on 6-Week-Old Infant
3 articles · Updated · Salon · Sep 4
Summary
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said a Lancaster County coroner found measles caused the August death of a 6-week-old Pennsylvania infant, reversing his earlier public doubt about the case.
The coroner said the child had Amish lethal microcephaly and was already receiving palliative care, but measles still caused the death and the underlying condition heightened vulnerability to severe illness.
The acknowledgment came days after Reuters reported Kennedy asked CDC Director Erica Schwartz to remove two Pennsylvania deaths from the national measles tally, even though CDC staff had initially accepted the state's classification.
CDC still has not added the two Pennsylvania deaths to its national count, saying it is reviewing records and developing standardized criteria for classifying measles deaths.
The dispute is unfolding during the worst U.S. measles outbreak in more than 30 years, with more than 3,100 confirmed cases nationwide and Pennsylvania facing the country's largest active outbreak.