Correcting this week’s misinformation: week of September 3, 2026

Reports about two deaths linked to a large measles outbreak in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, do not agree. The county coroner says the people had measles when they died, but measles did not cause their deaths. State health officials disagree.

• The newborn had measles before birth and died from a ruptured spleen.
• Measles can weaken the spleen, making it more likely to rupture.
• These facts suggest measles may have played a crucial role in the baby’s death.

The Lancaster County coroner is an elected official. Dr. Stephen Diamantoni became board-certified in family medicine in 1985, but he does not have special training in investigating deaths. He did not perform the baby’s autopsy himself. He reported the findings of the forensic pathologist who did.

According to news reports, the pathologist listed a ruptured spleen as the cause of death, not measles. However, the baby had measles in the lungs after getting the infection from the mother before birth. Measles can enlarge and weaken the spleen, which may make it more likely to rupture. The pathologist reportedly did not find signs that the baby’s spleen had been enlarged.

Dr. Paul Offit explained that a ruptured spleen is very rare in newborns. He also said it may be difficult to tell whether a spleen was enlarged after it has ruptured, just as it can be hard to know the original size of a balloon after it bursts.

Offit said the available facts leave an important question. The baby had measles before birth, died from a ruptured spleen, and measles can weaken the spleen. However, Diamantoni has been careful about saying whether measles led to the rupture. Offit believes more evidence or explanation is needed before concluding that measles did not play a role in the baby’s death.

The death of national treasure and beloved singer Dolly Parton at age 80 has anti-vaxxers saying the COVID vaccine caused her death.

• Dolly Parton was 80 when she died from cancer.
• Older age is the biggest overall risk factor for cancer.
• There is no scientific evidence that COVID vaccines cause “turbo cancer.”

We really didn’t want to write this one, as Dolly Parton was an absolute mensch and any politicization of her death is abhorrent, but here we are.

Dolly Parton was 80 years old when she died from cancer. There is no evidence that vaccines caused her cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, getting older is the biggest risk factor for cancer overall and for many types of cancer.

There is also no scientific evidence that COVID vaccines cause “turbo cancer.” Even substances known to cause cancer usually take years to do so. This makes claims that COVID vaccines suddenly cause fast-growing cancers unlikely.

Peter McCullough says they don’t.

• McCullough treats the study’s limits as proof that its findings are false.
• He wrongly suggests that short-term vaccine inflammation is the same as harmful, long-term inflammation.
• The study found a real link between Shingrix and fewer heart problems, although more research is needed.

Peter McCullough points out some real limits of the study. It used medical records instead of a clinical trial, and the researchers could not account for every difference between the two groups. This means the study cannot prove that Shingrix prevents heart disease. However, these limits do not mean the study is false or “misinformation.”

The researchers compared more than 72,000 older adults who received either Shingrix or the older shingles vaccine. They matched the groups based on 83 health and personal factors. People who received Shingrix had fewer diagnoses of heart disease and heart failure. The researchers also ran several tests to look for other explanations. The results remained similar, although some unknown differences between the groups could still have affected them.

McCullough also argues that the vaccine causes inflammation and therefore cannot protect the heart. However, the short-term immune response a vaccine causes is not the same as the long-lasting inflammation linked to heart disease. Shingles itself can cause inflammation and has been linked to heart attacks and strokes. Preventing shingles may therefore help protect the heart.