Lancaster County coroner reports measles death of 6-week-old Amish infant
A six-week-old Amish baby with a rare genetic disorder died of measles, marking Pennsylvania's first measles fatality since 1991 and the first in the U.S. this year.
Lancaster County coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni confirmed that a six-week-old Amish infant, diagnosed with Amish lethal microcephaly, died from measles at home on Aug. 18. The case is the first measles-related death recorded in Pennsylvania since 1991 and the first in the United States this year.
Microcephaly, a neurological condition affecting roughly one in 500 Amish births but rare elsewhere, typically leads to palliative care from birth, with most affected children surviving only five to six months and often succumbing to respiratory infections. While the infant’s microcephaly was noted, the coroner determined measles was the direct cause of death.
"I don’t want to go into details in terms of how we were able to ascertain that information, but the providers did not think it was a case that needed to be referred to the coroner’s office because many of these children end up dying of respiratory infections of different types, and the death was not unexpected," Dr. Diamantoni said.
The coroner’s office is still investigating whether the death aligns with the two measles-related fatalities announced by state officials on Aug. 25. The Clinic for Special Children, which cared for the infant, declined comment, citing patient privacy, and directed inquiries to the coroner’s office and the state health department.