E-town's reported 99% vaccination rate at Bainbridge Elementary raises an eyebrow [Lancaster Watchdog]

Key Points:

• A Bainbridge Elementary School student in Elizabethtown Area School District was confirmed to have measles amid a larger multistate outbreak centered in Lancaster County, raising concerns about vaccination rates in the district.
• The district claims a 99% measles vaccination rate at Bainbridge Elementary, well above the 95% herd immunity threshold, but state data from December 2025 shows only an 88.3% vaccination rate among kindergarteners, with several religious exemptions reported.
• Discrepancies between the district’s reported vaccination rates and state data raise questions about the actual level of immunity, especially considering ongoing religious exemptions that may reduce overall coverage below herd immunity levels.
• The district is following state health guidelines by notifying families of potential exposure and advising symptomatic students to seek medical care, but has not confirmed if it shared attendance records with the Pennsylvania Department of Health for contact tracing.
• The state health department emphasizes quarantine measures for unvaccinated exposed individuals but does not recommend school closures, and Elizabethtown Area School District has not closed Bainbridge Elementary amid the outbreak.