A Pennsylvania coroner has confirmed a second child measles death in the state.The measles deaths are the first reported in the United States this year amid a 35-year high in infections.”Just today, we received a report of another child who died with measles, and we’re in the process of doing an investigation,” Lancaster County Coroner, Dr. Stephen Diamantoni, told WHTM Wednesday.It is unclear if the second death reported by the coroner is further clarification of two deaths already reported, or if this brings the death toll to three. The Independent has asked the Lancaster County corner for clarification.There has been unusual friction between the state and the federal government after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked his CDC director last weekend to remove a reference to the two Pennsylvania fatalities from the agency’s online measles tracker after questioning whether the virus contributed to the deaths, according to a new report.Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks in Washington, D.C., Tuesday. Kennedy’s CDC and Pennsylvania officials are at odds over measles deaths in the state (Reuters)CDC staffers had accepted the state’s characterization of the deaths as linked to measles before recently-appointed Director Erica Schwartz ordered the removal, Reuters reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter.On Friday, the CDC tracker of annual measles deaths in the U.S. was at zero.A Health and Human Services spokesperson told Reuters the CDC had requested details needed to determine the cause of the deaths but did not comment on Kennedy’s or Schwartz’s reported actions.The Independent has contacted HHS for comment on the report.A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Health Department told The Independent Tuesday that every reported measles case is “thoroughly reviewed to confirm it meets the CDC’s case definition for a measles case.”Diamantoni contested the cause of one of the deaths reported by the department last month. He told WGAL that a ruptured the spleen of a newborn infected with measles was the actual cause of death.That drew outrage from doctors including Philadelphia pediatrician Dr. Paul Offit, who told The Independent not saying the cause of death was measles was “absurd.”The Independent has contacted Diamantoni for comment on the measles deaths, Pennsylvania’s first in 35 years.This Pennsylvania Department of Health shows measles cases across the state’s counties this year. The darkest blue counties have the most cases (Pennsylvania Department of Health)The CDC told The Independent earlier this week that the agency was unable to confirm the deaths as from measles based on the information available to the agency. The CDC has not said what information it will rely on to determine whether the Pennsylvania deaths were caused by measles.Measles causes brain-swelling, fever and pneumonia, with the majority of infections in people who have not been vaccinated. Two doses of the MMR vaccine – which also protects against the mumps and rubella – are 97 percent effective against infection, offering lifelong protection, according to the CDC.The nation’s ongoing resurgence in measles cases is fueled by rising vaccine hesitancy spurred by misinformation, experts previously toldThe Independent. Figures from the CDC and state agencies show that vaccination rates have been falling since before the pandemic.Pennsylvania is one of the states with the highest number of cases, CDC data last updated August 30 shows. The state reported 540 cases on Tuesday, with 242 in Lancaster County alone.With additional reporting from Reuters
