Pennsylvania Measles Outbreak Reaches 1,398 Cases in Amish Community as 150,000 MMR Doses Are Given
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Nov 4
Pennsylvania Measles Outbreak Reaches 1,398 Cases in Amish Community as 150,000 MMR Doses Are Given
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Nov 4
Summary
Pennsylvania has detected 1,398 measles cases centered on Lancaster County’s Amish community, with five deaths reported in the state and nearly two-thirds of cases occurring in adults.
Less than one-third of Amish residents were immunized against measles, mumps and rubella in one study, helping fuel the outbreak even though Amish doctrine does not broadly oppose vaccines.
Since Aug. 1, the state has administered 150,000 MMR doses — including more than 50,000 in October — while sending 300 health workers to the area and running pop-up clinics and mail campaigns.
The response has become politically charged: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused Governor Josh Shapiro of politicizing the outbreak, while Shapiro and Democratic critics blamed vaccine skepticism for worsening it.
The outbreak has spilled beyond Lancaster, with New York declaring a health emergency after more than 100 measles cases that epidemiologists believe are linked to Pennsylvania and Ohio.