In Pennsylvania's Amish country, nurses go door to door to fight measles outbreak
As Pennsylvania faces one of its worst measles outbreaks in years, health workers are visiting Amish homes to vaccinate families in private settings. Four people have died in the outbreak so far, including two infants.
Health officials in Pennsylvania are taking an unusual approach to combat the state's worst measles outbreak in recent history: bringing vaccines directly to people's homes. Dale Weiser, a clinical supervisor with the Chester County Health Department, regularly drives nearly 50 kilometres into a rural area with a large Amish population, administering shots to families around their kitchen tables.
The Amish are a devout Christian community that largely avoids modern technology and has historically had limited contact with conventional medical care. About 90,000 Amish people live in Pennsylvania, and in the Lancaster area, estimates suggest only around a quarter have received the MMR vaccine. Experts say low vaccination isn't usually driven by strong opposition, but by inconvenience and limited access to healthcare.
Because Amish communities are close-knit and highly social, the virus spreads quickly once it reaches an unvaccinated church group. The outbreak has already claimed four lives — two infants, an 18-year-old, and a 40-year-old woman.
Chester County, which borders Lancaster County, the outbreak's epicentre, has administered 538 MMR vaccines since the outbreak began, 340 of them in private homes. Officials say they are relying on strategies similar to those used during the Covid-19 pandemic, including door-knocking campaigns and offering vaccinations in private settings.
Health workers say some residents have been influenced by misinformation, including false claims that vaccines contain heavy metals or microchips. However, many others, seeing neighbours fall seriously ill, are now asking genuine questions and reconsidering their stance.
The outbreak has also fuelled political controversy, after the US health secretary publicly disputed one of the reported infant deaths, drawing criticism from Pennsylvania's governor. Experts warn that the start of the school year could accelerate spread further, and that the outbreak may continue for months to come.
