The two infants whose deaths have been linked to measles have been named – as controversy over the fatalities continues to mount.
Newborn baby Ivan S Miller, from Strasburg Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, who died on August 14, was the first, according to a coroner’s report obtained by local media.
His cause of death was listed as a ruptured spleen, a life-threatening condition that can lead to major internal bleeding, with measles listed as a contributing factor.
The second victim was reported to be Mary S Stoltzfus, a six-week-old baby who died in Fulton Township, also in Lancaster County, on August 18.
Her cause of death was cardiac arrest due to measles.
It was also noted that she had Amish lethal microcephaly, a fatal genetic condition found in the Amish community that causes children to die within five to six months of birth.
No images of either child have been released.
Their deaths are the first measles-linked fatalities to be reported this year and come after three deaths from the virus were registered in 2025, including two in school-age children in Texas.
The two patients who were the first deaths from measles this year have been identified
So far this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 3,134 measles cases, the most in three decades and 845 more cases than last year, when there were 2,289 cases.
Almost all the infections have been reported in people who have not received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
The coroner in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, released the reports to WGAL8 following a right-to-know request.
A webpage was posted for Miller by Reynolds Shivery Funeral Home, which has locations in Lancaster County. The page is no longer live and currently returns an error.
For Stoltzfus, a webpage was posted by the same funeral home. It lists her parents, brother, grandparents and great-grandparents and says that her funeral took place on August 20.
The measles-linked deaths were first announced on August 25 in a press conference where state governor Josh Shapiro blamed them on federal government messaging surrounding MMR vaccines.
Speaking to the media, he said there were ‘real-life consequences’ to ‘spreading misinformation’ and suggested that administration officials had engaged in ‘scaring people and not relying on actual doctors to provide unbiased information.’
Shapiro also said he had a phone call with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr who ‘launched into a tirade’ and, according to the governor, even claimed ‘it would be better if we went back to “natural measles.”‘
The above map shows the states in the US that have the most measles cases nationwide
The above shows the number of measles cases reported by year in the US
Within hours of his statement, Republican Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons had suggested online that the deaths were not caused by measles.
In a post on Facebook, he said ‘false’ information had been published by state officials, adding that it was ‘important to know whether these people died OF measles or WITH measles’.
In a long post on his social media account that evening, Kennedy also slammed Governor Shapiro.
He posted information about how the MMR vaccine has been manufactured and said he disputed allegations that he was spreading misinformation.
In a highly unusual move, the CDC then did not list the deaths.
That Friday, August 28, the agency delayed its weekly measles data update. When it was finally posted on Sunday, it did not include the fatalities in Pennsylvania but added an asterisk to its table on deaths with the following note: ‘At this time, available information does not establish whether measles caused or contributed to the (Pennsylvania) deaths or whether the individuals died from other causes while infected with measles.’
The spleen is a vital organ on the left side of the body just below the ribcage that filters blood and holds white blood cells.
During a measles infection, it can become enlarged or swollen. If pressure is put on the organ, such as during childbirth, this may raise the risk of it rupturing and causing life-threatening internal bleeding. Emergency surgery is needed to close the organ when it ruptures.
In Amish lethal microcephaly, infants are born with an unusually small head and underdeveloped brain. They may have seizures and difficulty maintaining their body temperature.
The condition is severe and predisposes infants to infections, including measles, that could lead to their deaths.
Measles is one of the most infectious diseases known to man and is a particularly serious infection for young children.
One out of every 1,000 children who develop a measles infection suffers brain swelling, which can cause brain damage, the CDC says, while one to three out of every 1,000 die from complications linked to the infection.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine, administered ONCE at age 12 to 15 months and again at four to six years, slashes the risk of a measles infection by 97 percent.
Official data released last month showed MMR vaccination rates among kindergarteners had dropped to 92.4 percent, down 0.1 percent from the year prior and more than 2 percent on a decade ago.
South Carolina is at the epicenter, having recorded 670 infections in 2026 – the most out of any state, followed by Pennsylvania, 557 cases, and Utah, 526 cases. Almost every state has recorded at least one measles case this year.
In Pennsylvania, Lancaster County has reported the most cases in the state, or a total of 268 infections.
