Five Polio Cases Reported in Minnesota Amish Community

Posted on November 3, 2005

Polio cases have become very rare. They still occur primarily due to a refusal to vaccinate. Recently, a fifth case of polio was confirmed in children living in an Amish community in Minnesota. The Duluth News Tribune reported the news.

State health officials have confirmed a fifth case of polio virus infection in an Amish child in central Minnesota, the Minnesota Health Department said Wednesday.
The child's family is unrelated to two families with children who have tested positive for the virus, said Doug Schultz, a Health Department spokesman. The families are all part of the same Amish community near Clarissa.

There have been complaints by health experts about refusals of vaccinations in the Amish community but WCCO reports that one Amish elder has decided to allow the vaccine to be given.

An Amish elder said he has decided to have his children vaccinated. He said he is doing what he can and will leave the rest in God's hands.
Minnesota's top doctors have been urging Amish around the state to get their children immunized.

Hopefully this will be enough to motivate the Amish to give all of their children polio vaccinations and put an end to these sad and unnecessary polio outbreaks.

HEALTH