Lancaster County’s coroner said a 6-week-old Amish infant died from measles around Aug. 18, marking Pennsylvania’s first confirmed measles death since 1991 and the first in the United States this year.
The infant also had Amish lethal microcephaly, a rare neurological genetic disorder seen in about 1 in 500 Amish births that leaves children highly vulnerable to respiratory infections and often limits survival to 5 or 6 months.
Dr. Stephen Diamantoni said the death was not initially referred to his office because the child had been on palliative care and the death was considered medically unsurprising; his office later investigated and traced the case to the Clinic for Special Children in Leacock Township.
Diamantoni said he still does not know whether this was the second measles-associated death referenced by Gov. Josh Shapiro at an Aug. 25 press conference, leaving the state’s broader measles toll unclear.