HARRISBURG — Roughly half of Pennsylvania’s latest confirmed cases of measles are in Lancaster County, where the coroner confirmed to local media outlets on Friday that a 6-week-old Amish infant died of the disease.
According to LancasterOnline|LNP, Dr. Stephen Diamantoni, Lancaster County Coroner, said the infant was born with a neurological genetic disorder, Amish lethal microcephaly. He estimated the death occurred on Aug. 18 but couldn’t confirm whether it was the second measles-associated death reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Aug. 25.
Diamantoni said children born with the condition are typically placed on palliative care at birth and generally live 5 to 6 months, LancasterOnline|LNP reported.
Diamantoni and the Department of Health were each contacted by CNHI Pennsylvania on Friday seeking further information on the 6-week-old infant’s death.
Diamantoni previously said that a second child, a newborn who had measles in their system, died of a ruptured spleen shortly after being born, but said that the disease was not a direct cause or contributing factor.
However, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, citing Diamantoni, said a death certificate — documents not widely available to the public — listed measles as a contributing condition to allow “a broader view” of the newborn’s general health.
The Department of Health had confirmed this was one of the two cases it cited since it was first revealed by the coroner, but declined to provide any information on the second case, citing state privacy law.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not included the two measles-associated deaths among its data on the disease spreading through different parts of the U.S.
As of Thursday, CDC reported there were 3,134 confirmed measles cases across the country, with 96% involving people who were not vaccinated or whose status was unknown. There were 2,289 cases in all of 2025. In 2024, the total was 285.
In its Friday data update on measles, the state Department of Health reported that the confirmed case count stood at 577 — an increase of 115 cases in the past seven days.
The confirmed total is up by 37 cases since Wednesday, when DoH provided its prior update. More than half of the new cases — 19 — were in Lancaster County.
DoH says that the case counts are only what the department can confirm and that the actual figure is likely far greater.
Lancaster County is at the center of the measles outbreak in Pennsylvania. There are 246 cases confirmed there by DoH. No other county has yet approached triple digits. There are now cases in 37 counties. Cambria County was added to the list Friday with a single confirmed case.
Trailing Lancaster County are Mifflin County with 57 cases; Chester County, 56; Jefferson and Snyder counties, 24 each; York County, 22.
Confirmed cases resulting in hospitalizations reached 98 with Friday’s data updated. Measles-related deaths remained at 2.
The majority of cases across Pennsylvania are among adults, primarily among those aged 18 to 49. About 3 in 10 cases involve minors.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health continues to encourage people to get vaccinated against measles, stating that the MMR vaccine is 97% effective. State health officials have administered more than 6,000 MMR doses in 2026, the majority of which have been administered since the start of August.
The Department urges those who aren’t fully vaccinated to contact a health care provider, county, municipal or state health agency, a Federally Qualified Health Center or Vaccines for Children program. Anyone exposed to measles and experiencing symptoms should contact a health care provider or call 1-877-PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258).
More information is available at www.pa.gov/measles.