CDC reported then deleted two measles deaths that were questioned by RFK Jr.

The move comes after anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got into a public spat with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro over Kennedy’s anti-vaccine rhetoric. Kennedy then shared measles misinformation on social media amid news of the deaths, then suggested without evidence that the state may have “fabricated” the deaths and that the governor announced them with “giddy delight.” State health officials initially refused to release information about the two people who died, including their ages, citing privacy concerns. But news has since trickled out that one of the people who died was a newborn and, according to reporting Tuesday by the Times, the other was a child. Both were unvaccinated and from Lancaster County. Outside medical experts have criticized the lack of information provided by health officials, leaving more space for doubt and misinformation. Controversy about the deaths flared after Lancaster County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni, a Republican first elected coroner in 2007, claimed that a pathologist determined that the newborn died of a ruptured spleen and didn’t believe measles played a role. The baby was born infected with the virus, according to testing, and had evidence of a measles infection in lung tissue. The newborn’s mother was severely ill from measles at the time of birth, according to reporting from The Atlantic, which spoke with the baby’s parents amid the uproar. The parents, who are Amish, were not aware that their baby’s death was in the national news and a source of contention. They believed without question that their baby died of measles. The mother said she contracted the virus amid the ongoing local outbreak and after several of her other children had fallen ill. She became so ill she couldn’t speak above a whisper and “didn’t have a single piece of energy” as she went into labor. The baby was born with a pulse, but was not breathing. The baby, a boy, was declared dead less than a half-hour later, after paramedics had been called and attempted to give the newborn oxygen and chest compressions, the parents said. Measles can cause a baby’s spleen to enlarge and the fibrous tissue around the organ to thin. In such a vulnerable state, the spleen can rupture during birth. Diamantoni has claimed that the pathologist who examined the newborn didn’t report an enlarged spleen. But after a spleen ruptures, it can be difficult to determine whether it was previously enlarged or not, according to Paul Offit, a vaccine and pediatric infectious disease expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Overall, a ruptured spleen is extremely rare in newborns, he says. The state’s health department officials said they reported the deaths to CDC staff on August 25 prior to their public announcement and met with CDC officials the next day. As a spokesperson for the state health department told the Times, “Every reported measles case is thoroughly reviewed to confirm it meets the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) case definition for a measles case. To date, [the state health department] has provided all required epidemiological data to the CDC.” As an ardent anti-vaccine activist, Kennedy has a long history of spreading vaccine misinformation and disinformation, downplaying the severity and risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and spreading doubt and misinformation about vaccine-preventable deaths. Amid the pandemic, Kennedy and like-minded allies similarly assailed reports of deaths from COVID-19, arguing that they were deaths “with” the deadly virus and not “from” it. While Kennedy’s pattern is clear, outside experts have raised concerns about whether new CDC director Schwartz—who has championed the use of vaccines in the past—would stand up to Kennedy’s anti-vaccine agenda. The CDC’s decision to challenge the death determinations of Pennsylvania health officials appears to confirm those fears and stand to exacerbate the flagging public health systems in the US, experts say. “This is a moment for the CDC director to speak publicly about the outbreak,” Debra Houry, CDC’s former chief medical officer, told the Times. “Delays in reporting of data further erode trust and create confusion.”