Pennsylvania Amish communities show increased vaccine openness amid measles outbreak

Pennsylvania is currently experiencing the nation's worst measles outbreak in 35 years, with over 1,350 cases in 2026 and five reported deaths. Centered in Lancaster County, the epidemic highlights risks among Plain communities such as the Amish and Mennonites, who maintain low vaccination rates due to custom rather than religious doctrine. Amid declining statewide MMR rates of 93.2%, mobile health clinics are seeing increased openness as hundreds of Plain residents seek vaccination.

Perspectives on vaccines in Plain communities

• ▪Amish farmer Ephraim Zook continued to oppose vaccines even after nursing his young twin children through measles
• ▪Attitudes toward vaccines in Plain communities cooled in reaction to COVID-19 public health measures, but the current measles outbreak in Pennsylvania is prompting many members to accept MMR shots

Cultural and theological views on vaccination

• ▪Steve Nolt of Elizabethtown College stated that nothing in Amish theology or historic documents specifically addresses or opposes immunization
• ▪Allen Hoover, former administrator of Parochial Medical Center, stated that most Plain individuals who avoid vaccines do so out of custom rather than ideological opposition

Franklin & Marshall College vaccination findings

• ▪Berwood Yost of Franklin & Marshall College noted in a commentary that kindergarten vaccination rates have declined in every central Pennsylvania county since 2020
• ▪A 2022 survey by Franklin & Marshall College found that the vast majority of Mennonite families reported vaccinating their children, compared to about 3 in 10 Amish families

Vaccine outreach by Union Community Care

• ▪Union Community Care has administered about 450 measles shots through targeted vaccine outreach clinics for Plain populations in Lancaster County
• ▪Union Community Care clinics in Lancaster County are offering MMR vaccinations to infants earlier than normally scheduled to protect against the 2026 measles outbreak in Pennsylvania

Public health outreach for vaccines

• ▪Lancaster County Commissioner Alice Yoder urged public officials to promote MMR vaccine safety and effectiveness, citing the success of similar public health efforts during Pennsylvania's 1991 measles outbreak
• ▪Dr. D. Holmes Morton of the Central Pennsylvania Clinic reported holding increasingly successful vaccine days for Plain patients during Pennsylvania's 2026 measles outbreak

Measles cases and deaths in Pennsylvania

• ▪Pennsylvania is experiencing the nation's worst measles outbreak in 35 years with over 1,350 cases in 2026, with more than a third occurring in Lancaster County
• ▪Pennsylvania state figures have recorded three measles-associated deaths in Lancaster County and two in other Pennsylvania counties in 2026
• ▪Community leaders state that official case counts in Pennsylvania represent a big undercount because many infected individuals in Plain communities never see a doctor

Spread of recent measles outbreaks

• ▪Most U.S. states have recorded measles cases during the 2026 measles outbreak centered in Pennsylvania
• ▪The 2026 measles outbreak in Pennsylvania follows earlier 2025 outbreaks in Mennonite populations in Texas and elsewhere across North America

Interaction between Plain and wider communities

• ▪An estimated 45,000 Amish and 6,000 Old Order Mennonites live in and around Lancaster County, regularly interacting with wider populations at farmers markets and local businesses
• ▪Dr. Anne-Marie Derrico of Union Community Care noted that Plain patients regularly travel to Lancaster city, interacting with non-vaccinated populations in urban centers and local schools

Declining kindergarten MMR vaccination rates

• ▪CDC data shows U.S. kindergartener MMR vaccination rates fell to 92.4% in the 2025-2026 school year, down from 95.2% in 2019-2020
• ▪Pennsylvania's overall kindergarten MMR vaccination rate fell to 93.2% in 2025, dropping below the 95% threshold required to prevent widespread measles transmission
• ▪Lancaster County's kindergarten MMR vaccination rate dropped to 88% in 2025, with rates lower in private and religious schools than in public schools