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Amid Measles Surge, Amish Country Opens Up to Vaccines
Newser • • general
Key Points:
- Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, home to the state's largest Amish community, is experiencing the worst measles surge in decades, accounting for over a third of the state's 1,350+ cases and at least three deaths.
- The Amish and conservative Mennonites, who traditionally have low vaccination rates due to cultural habits rather than religious beliefs, are interacting with non-Amish populations, facilitating the spread of the highly contagious virus.
- The outbreak is prompting some within the Amish community to reconsider vaccination, with local clinics administering hundreds of MMR vaccines and some Amish farmers choosing to get vaccinated.
- Public health experts highlight a broader issue of declining childhood vaccination rates across central Pennsylvania, contributing to the severity of the outbreak.
