Authorities in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the United States, determined that a six-week-old child died of measles. The victim had a rare genetic disease called Amish microcephaly, which can make a child more vulnerable to respiratory infections, according to the county medical examiner, Stephen Diamantoni. The death occurred last month.
Last week, state authorities announced two measles deaths in Lancaster, amid a growing outbreak that has already sickened 540 people and led more than 90 to be hospitalized in the region. Across the country, there are already 3,200 measles cases recorded this year, the worst scenario in more than three decades.
However, controversy began almost immediately after the announcement of the two deaths. Diamantoni said his office had received only one possible case, of a newborn who tested positive for the virus and died shortly after birth and had not yet been confirmed as the cause.
