Health · Public Health & Disease · 1 hr ago
Measles outbreak grows as US vaccine guidance remains unchanged
The US reported three measles-associated deaths last week, including a seven-month-old baby in New York and a postpartum woman in Pennsylvania.
The deaths come as measles cases rise during the country's worst outbreak in 35 years.
Pennsylvania health worker Dale Weiser has given more than 400 vaccine doses to Amish families in their homes since August.
The state is using personal visits and word of mouth to build trust, as many families have limited access to health care and relatively few vaccinate their children.
A federal vaccine advisory committee is not currently operating, after a judge ruled the Trump administration had not properly constituted it.
Former advisers say the committee could have considered changes to vaccination advice, but US recommendations have not changed as the outbreak continues.
The CDC is taking nominations for a new committee, but appointments and changes to vaccine guidance could take months or longer.
Dale Weiser, a Chester County health worker, has been bringing measles vaccines to Amish families in their homes since August.
She has administered more than 400 doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in Amish homes.
Pennsylvania is using quiet, word-of-mouth outreach to build trust with an Amish community particularly hard hit by the outbreak.
Surveys suggest about a third of Amish families in the region vaccinate their children.
Pennsylvania has confirmed six measles-related deaths and more than 1,500 cases, though the true count is likely higher.
- Who
- Dale Weiser, clinical services supervisor for the Chester County Health Department, is leading the effort.
- What
- She is taking measles vaccines to Amish families in their homes and has administered more than 400 doses.
- When
- Since August.
- Where
- Amish homes in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
- Why
- The outreach aims to immunize families and build trust through word of mouth in a community hard hit by measles.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Weiser began driving to Amish homes to vaccinate people against measles.
Weiser had administered more than 400 vaccine doses in Amish homes.
Pennsylvania had confirmed six measles-related deaths and more than 1,500 cases.
- Health worker
- Dale Weiser
- Role
- Clinical services supervisor, Chester County Health Department
- Vaccination effort began
- August
- Doses administered
- More than 400
- Pennsylvania outbreak
- Six confirmed measles-related deaths and more than 1,500 cases
2 sources
What people are saying
They don't have health insurance. They're not interacting with the mainstream medical society. And measles wasn't a problem for 30 years, so there was no real risk to not being vaccinated, at least for measles.
I was at a house, like, at 4:30 in the afternoon, and I had a phone call at 8 the next morning saying, 'hey, I heard you were down the street. Can you come do that at my house?'
When I arrive at their home, there's usually a small child that will run from the back of the house to the barn to tell the men that there's somebody strange in the driveway, or that the nurse is here.
But I was caught off guard when I was asked if there were tracking chips in the vaccine, and I was like, whoa. Flashback to COVID. Where did you hear that?