Weeks into Minneapolis’ worst measles outbreak in more than 25 years, public health experts are still struggling to get some families in the Somali community to vaccinate their children.
Currently, 51 people have been infected with measles in Minnesota, 46 of whom are Somali-Americans. For years, public health officials have been trying to increase the vaccination rates in the Somali community, which dropped precipitously in the mid 2000’s over fears about the now-debunked theory that vaccines were linked with autism.
In 2008, the Minnesota Department of Health found that Somali children in Minneapolis were more likely to take part in services for autistic children, although it was unclear if that was because more children in the community had the disorder or because there was better outreach to the community.
Dr. Mahab Ururshe, a pediatrician at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, is originally from Somalia and says he still sees many parents afraid of vaccines, even though numerous studies have shown no link between autism and vaccines.
The parents say, “I know measles, I have had it and my mom had it — better to have measles than autism,” Ururshe told ABC News.
In order to convince some parents that vaccines are safe, Ururshe has spent long periods of time explaining that studies have found no link between vaccines and autism. He also has to point out that the disease can be deadly and that, in Somalia, there was no accurate data compiled about measles complications.