Coroner: 6-Week-Old Amish Girl Died From Measles. First Confirmed US Measles Death Of 2026

Earlier today, Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni confirmed that a 6-week-old Amish girl died due to measles.

As Anne Garber of LNP | LancasterOnline notes, this is the first confirmed measles death in the US this year, and the first in Pennsylvania since 1991.

Diamantoni told LNP | LancasterOnline that the girl was born with a genetic condition called Amish lethal microcephaly. The microcephaly condition is very serious. Children born with it typically only live 5 to 6 months, according to Diamantoni.

He told CBS 21 that the condition makes newborns more susceptible to viral illnesses, and that the effects of measles were amplified by it.

Babies born with this condition are placed on palliative care from birth. This is a girl whose health was already severely compromised.

However, in this case, Diamantoni confirmed that measles was in fact the cause of death. As he put it to CBS 21, the child died from measles, not “with” it.

This poor girl did not even make it to the typical age cited by Diamantoni, of about a half-year. This is a very sad story, involving a child who was already going to have a very short life. I feel for these parents to lose a child so young.

One Of Two “Measles-Associated” Deaths

Ten days ago, two “measles-associated” deaths in Lancaster County were announced by the state, making national headlines. But the confirmations came with little additional information indicating anything about the victims.

Reporting in The Atlantic last week suggested that one of the deaths was likely the infant son of a Lancaster County couple interviewed for the piece.

It’s also still unknown whether this 6-week-old infant girl who passed away was one of the two reported Lancaster County “measles-associated” deaths:

Diamantoni still did not know whether this was the second measles-associated death reported by Gov. Josh Shapiro and Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen during a press conference Aug. 25 in Lancaster County.

The case wasn’t initially reported to Diamantoni’s office, but he said he and his colleagues “did an investigation” and found the case was handled by the Clinic for Special Children in Leacock Township.

Diamantoni also noted that the child received the best possible care at the clinic.

While the death of the boy discussed in the Atlantic story was, according to Diamantoni, due to a ruptured spleen and not directly caused by measles, the case of this girl is being attributed directly to measles. The term “measles-associated” is broad enough to contain both cases.

It recalls the terms “COVID-related” or “COVID-associated” which were frequently used to discuss deaths where the exact cause of death of COVID-afflicted individuals was not precisely identified, or even identifiable.

Official Positions Still Differ

It should be noted that there are differing positions on this case at different official levels, at least as of now. By this new report, the death has been confirmed as caused by measles at the county level. The state level is still calling it “associated,” while at the federal level, the CDC is not confirming it as caused by measles. Here’s the reasoning the CDC gave on its site, cited in the article:

“At this time, available information does not establish whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths or whether the individuals died from other causes while infected with measles,” the CDC wrote on its website. “CDC will update the national count as additional information becomes available.”

So for some reason, the CDC states that “available information” is not sufficient to establish even whether measles contributed to the “deaths.” That may simply reflect a delay in confirmation or other things clouding the picture.

But the official closest to the case and with the most direct information about it, the county coroner who examined it directly, is confirming it to be caused by measles.

This confirmation of measles among the Amish is the second in as many days by a public health official. It comes a day after a health director reported eight measles cases among the Amish in three New York counties.

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