RFK Jr. Acknowledges Pennsylvania Infant’s Measles Death, Calls Governor’s Remarks “Politicized”

On Friday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted a terse update that finally put the record straight: the six‑week‑old infant who died in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, succumbed to measles. The clarification came after weeks of back‑and‑forth, during which Kennedy had cast doubt on the state’s reporting of two measles‑related infant deaths.

The Lancaster County coroner, Stephen Diamantoni, supplied the missing piece of the puzzle. In a public statement he said the baby’s medical records unequivocally pointed to measles as the cause of death. That’s the same child who was born with a rare genetic condition—Amish lethal microcephaly—that makes infants especially vulnerable to infections.

Kennedy didn’t hide his frustration. In a follow‑up post he wrote, “The coroner has now publicly stated that measles caused the infant’s death.” He added that the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics would update its mortality figures once the official death certificate is filed.

The real drama, however, unfolded on the political stage. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, had accused Kennedy of steering the CDC to ignore the deaths in its national tally. Shapiro’s tweet read, in part, that Kennedy “sowed doubt, played politics, and even accused me of fabricating these tragedies.”

Kennedy shot back, calling Shapiro’s comments “political grandstanding.” He argued that the CDC was simply waiting for solid evidence before amending its data, and that the governor had rushed to politicize two tragic losses before the facts were nailed down.

Both infants were unvaccinated, a detail that’s been highlighted amid Pennsylvania’s broader measles outbreak. So far the outbreak has infected 577 people and landed 98 in the hospital. Health officials say the two deaths are separate: one infant died from a ruptured spleen, while the other, the six‑week‑old, died from measles.

As the CDC continues to review the cases, Kennedy says the agency will “continue to update its records as more information becomes available.” Meanwhile, the governor’s office maintains that the controversy underscores the danger of mixed messages during a public‑health crisis.

For now, the sad reality remains: a baby with a fragile genetic condition lost its battle with a vaccine‑preventable disease, and the ensuing debate has left both families and the public wrestling with grief and political friction.