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MN Somali 2 year olds' vaccination rate: 92% in 2006, 24% now, thx to ICE and R Fucking K Jr [View all]
Fear in Minnesota’s Somali community deepens, hampering progress on measles vaccination, MPR, 2/6/26
Measles vaccination rates among the state's large Somali community had plummeted, with the myth that the shot causes autism spreading. Not even four measles outbreaks since 2011 made a dent in the trend. But recently, immunization advocates noted small victories, including mobile clinics and a vaccine confidence task force.
Now, with the U.S. on the verge of losing its measles elimination status, those on the front lines of the battle against vaccine misinformation say much progress has been lost. Many residents fear leaving home at all, let alone seeking medical advice or visiting a doctor’s office.
“People are worried about survival,” said nurse practitioner Munira Maalimisaq, CEO of the Inspire Change Clinic, near a Minneapolis neighborhood where many Somalis live. “Vaccines are the last thing on people’s minds. But it is a big issue.” . . . parents have more pressing priorities: Who will care for kids when they can’t go to school? How can we safely get groceries and prescriptions?
. . .
In 2006, 92 percent of Somali 2-year-olds were up-to-date on the measles vaccine, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Today’s rate is closer to 24 percent, according to state data. A 95 percent rate is needed to prevent outbreaks of measles, an extremely contagious disease.
More: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/02/06/ice-fear-in-minnesotas-somali-community-hampers-progress-on-measles-vaccination
Measles vaccination rates among the state's large Somali community had plummeted, with the myth that the shot causes autism spreading. Not even four measles outbreaks since 2011 made a dent in the trend. But recently, immunization advocates noted small victories, including mobile clinics and a vaccine confidence task force.
Now, with the U.S. on the verge of losing its measles elimination status, those on the front lines of the battle against vaccine misinformation say much progress has been lost. Many residents fear leaving home at all, let alone seeking medical advice or visiting a doctor’s office.
“People are worried about survival,” said nurse practitioner Munira Maalimisaq, CEO of the Inspire Change Clinic, near a Minneapolis neighborhood where many Somalis live. “Vaccines are the last thing on people’s minds. But it is a big issue.” . . . parents have more pressing priorities: Who will care for kids when they can’t go to school? How can we safely get groceries and prescriptions?
. . .
In 2006, 92 percent of Somali 2-year-olds were up-to-date on the measles vaccine, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Today’s rate is closer to 24 percent, according to state data. A 95 percent rate is needed to prevent outbreaks of measles, an extremely contagious disease.
More: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/02/06/ice-fear-in-minnesotas-somali-community-hampers-progress-on-measles-vaccination
And a lot of other reasons, a lot of misinformation being circulated besides some supposed autism link -- vax rates had been way down for years before ICE and RFK Jr.
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