Nurse drives 30 miles daily to vaccinate

Dale Weiser, a clinical supervisor at Chester County Health Department, drives thirty miles sometimes daily to rural Pennsylvania to vaccinate Amish families against measles in their homes.

Deadliest US measles outbreak since 1992

Pennsylvania is battling the deadliest measles outbreak in recent history. The state has reported four deaths from measles complications, marking the most deadly outbreak the US has seen since nineteen ninety-two.

Why Amish resist vaccines

Many Amish people lack health insurance and have limited contact with the western medical system. There is no religious text against vaccines, but the community finds vaccination inconvenient and lacks easy travel to appointments.

Building trust through conversation

Weiser says when she answers questions and builds trust with families, many change their minds about vaccination. She walks into strangers' homes respectfully and sometimes vaccinates dozens of family members around the kitchen table.

“When you start talking and you answer their questions, and build that trust, a lot of times they will make a different decision.”

Nearly 4,300 MMR vaccines administered

The state health department has administered nearly four thousand three hundred measles, mumps and rubella vaccines at pop-up clinics near the outbreak epicentre since it began in late April.

Amish population and vaccination rates

About ninety thousand Amish people live in Pennsylvania. Estimates suggest around only a quarter of Amish people in the Lancaster area have had the MMR vaccine, making them vulnerable to rapid spread.

Virus spreads through tight-knit churches

Amish people are extremely social. When the virus hits one church group, it affects everyone who is unvaccinated. Braxton Mitchell, a genetic epidemiologist at University of Maryland School of Medicine, says measles is rampant in the Amish community.

Deaths include two newborns

The community has been especially concerned about dangers to babies. So far two newborns have died of measles complications, as well as an eighteen-year-old and a forty-year-old woman, according to state officials.

Chester County gives 538 vaccines

Chester County public health officials launched a rapid response using strategies from the Covid pandemic. Since the outbreak started, the county has given five hundred thirty-eight MMR vaccines, three hundred forty of which were administered in private settings.

Misinformation spreads in insulated community

False theories about vaccine safety have proliferated on social media and found roots even in the Amish community with limited computer access. Weiser has heard people ask if vaccines contain heavy metals that could make them magnetic or computer chips.

Kennedy disputes measles deaths

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr took to social media to dispute at least one of the first two infant deaths. Lancaster County coroner Stephen Diamantoni said one infant died of a ruptured spleen rather than measles itself.

Trump orders MMR vaccine split

Last month, Trump passed an executive order recommending the MMR shot be split into three separate shots. Doctors say this move is costly and unnecessary for a vaccine that is already safe and casts doubt on vaccine safety.

Outbreak expected to last six to twelve months

Weiser warns the outbreak feels like it is spreading and accelerating. Community transmission is now occurring and cannot be easily stopped. Experts worry the start of the school year will provide more opportunities for the highly contagious virus to spread.

“I think we're in this for six to twelve months. It does feel like it's spreading and accelerating. We're in community transmission now. We can't stop it easily.”