In case you missed it, West Texas just starred in the nation’s largest measles outbreak in more than 35 years, and yes, it happened right here in our extended neighborhood. Centered in Seminole, the outbreak sickened at least 762 Texans, hospitalized nearly 100 people, spread to other states and countries, and killed two children. Health experts say it was fueled largely by low vaccination rates, particularly among Mennonite communities in Gaines County, where nearly 20% of kindergartners are exempt from the measles vaccine.
The Texas Tribune profiles Mennonite families who rode out measles with cod liver oil, vitamins, Epsom salt baths, and holistic IV treatments—while skipping doctors entirely. Many parents, like Anita Froese, believe measles is basically “the flu with a rash” and that natural immunity is preferable to vaccines, even as public health officials note the measles vaccine is 97% effective and the disease can cause blindness, brain swelling, or death.
Rather than softening vaccine resistance, the outbreak hardened it. Community members say media scrutiny, government pressure, and pandemic-era mandates only deepened their distrust. To them, the outrage over measles felt exaggerated, the deaths misattributed, and the attention unfair—never mind that measles had been effectively eliminated in the U.S. for decades until vaccination rates dropped.
The story also highlights the contradictions inside the community itself. Some Mennonites, like John Peters—a leukemia patient who depended on modern medicine to survive—acknowledge that vaccines work and saved countless lives, even as they remain deeply opposed to mandates. Doctors in Seminole now fear measles was just the opening act, with whooping cough waiting in the wings as vaccination skepticism continues to rise.
So congratulations, West Texas—we finally put ourselves back on the global map… by reintroducing a disease science already solved. Who’s ready for polio nostalgia next?
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/17/texas-measles-mennonite-seminole-aftermath/