The worst measles outbreak in Texas in 30 years has been linked to an isolated Mennonite community. Last week authorities announced that an unvaccinated six-year-old had become the first casualty of the outbreak and the first measles-related death in the US since 2015. The death of the “otherwise healthy” child “starkly illustrates the stakes of slipping immunisation rates“, said The Washington Post.
The child was from Gaines County, a rural area in West Texas at the “epicentre” of the wave. Infections have quickly spread within the county’s Mennonites, a “diverse religious sect of thousands”. The origins of the outbreak are unclear, but a Texas Health Department spokesperson said that the “close-knit and under-vaccinated” nature of the Mennonite community was likely a key factor in its spread.
What are Mennonites?
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