Two infants in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, have been identified as the first measles-linked fatalities in the United States this year, as political controversy mounts over how the deaths are counted.
Coroner reports obtained by local news station WGAL8 following a right-to-know request named the victims as newborn Ivan S Miller and six-week-old Mary S Stoltzfus. No photographs of either child have been released by authorities or family members.
Ivan, a newborn from Strasburg Township, died on August 14. His cause of death was listed as a ruptured spleen, a life-threatening condition that causes major internal bleeding, with measles listed as a contributing factor.
Mary died four days later on August 18 in Fulton Township. Her cause of death was recorded as cardiac arrest due to measles. The coroner noted she also had Amish lethal microcephaly, a fatal genetic disorder found in the Amish community that causes children to die within five to six months of birth.
Funeral notices for both infants were posted by Reynolds Shivery Funeral Home, which has locations in Lancaster County. The page for Mary listed her parents, brother, grandparents, and great-grandparents, and noted her funeral took place on August 20. The webpage for Ivan is no longer active and currently returns an error.
The deaths represent the first measles-linked fatalities reported nationwide in 2026. They follow three deaths from the virus registered in 2025, including two school-age children in Texas.
Political clash over vaccine messaging
The fatalities were first disclosed on August 25 during a press conference held by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. The Democratic governor blamed the deaths on federal government messaging regarding measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines.
Speaking to reporters, Shapiro said there were "real-life consequences" to "spreading misinformation" and suggested federal administration officials had engaged in "scaring people and not relying on actual doctors to provide unbiased information."
Shapiro also stated he held a phone call with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. According to the governor, Kennedy "launched into a tirade" during the call and claimed "it would be better if we went back to 'natural measles.'"
Within hours of Shapiro's statement, Republican Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons suggested online that the deaths were not caused by measles. In a post on Facebook, Parsons said "false" information had been published by state officials, adding that it was "important to know whether these people died OF measles or WITH measles".
Kennedy responded that evening in a lengthy post on his social media account, slamming Governor Shapiro. Kennedy posted information about how the MMR vaccine is manufactured and disputed allegations that he was spreading misinformation.
Federal data delay and CDC asterisk
In a highly unusual move following the public disagreement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not list the Pennsylvania fatalities in its official count.
On Friday, August 28, the agency delayed its weekly measles data update. When the data was published on Sunday, August 30, it excluded the two Pennsylvania deaths from its official mortality table.
Instead, the CDC added an asterisk to its table on deaths with a footnote stating: "At this time, available information does not establish whether measles caused or contributed to the (Pennsylvania) deaths or whether the individuals died from other causes while infected with measles."
Medical complications and vaccine safety
Measles is one of the most infectious diseases known and is particularly dangerous for young children. According to the CDC, one out of every 1,000 children who contract measles suffers brain swelling, which can cause permanent brain damage, while one to three out of every 1,000 die from complications linked to the infection.
During a measles infection, the spleen, a vital organ on the left side of the body just below the ribcage that filters blood and holds white blood cells, can become enlarged or swollen. Pressure on the organ, such as during childbirth, raises the risk of it rupturing and causing life-threatening internal bleeding, which requires emergency surgery to close.
Infants with Amish lethal microcephaly are born with an unusually small head and an underdeveloped brain. The severe condition can cause seizures and difficulty maintaining body temperature, predisposing infants to infections such as measles that can lead to death.
Public health agencies emphasize that two doses of the MMR vaccine, administered once at age 12 to 15 months and again at four to six years, reduce the risk of a measles infection by 97 percent.
Nationwide outbreak and state statistics
So far this year, the CDC has reported 3,134 measles cases nationwide, marking the highest annual total in three decades and an increase of 845 cases over the 2,289 cases recorded last year. Almost all infections have occurred in individuals who have not received the MMR vaccine.
Official data released last month showed that MMR vaccination rates among American kindergarteners fell to 92.4 percent, representing a 0.1 percent drop from the previous year and a decline of more than 2 percent compared to a decade ago.
South Carolina is at the epicenter of the outbreak, recording 670 infections in 2026, the most of any state. Pennsylvania has recorded the second highest total with 557 cases, followed by Utah with 526 cases. Nearly every US state has recorded at least one measles case this year.
Within Pennsylvania, Lancaster County has reported the highest number of infections in the state, accounting for 268 of Pennsylvania's 557 cases.
