Latest news with #Mennonites
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Health
- RTÉ News
In rural Canadian town, new risk of measles deepens vaccine tensions
In the Canadian town of Aylmer, where Mennonites in traditional dress walk down the main street alongside secular locals, bitter divisions over vaccine scepticism that arose during Covid have intensified with the re-emergence of measles. Canada, which officially eradicated measles in 1998, has registered over 3,500 cases this year and the United States is confronting its worst measles epidemic in 30 years, with the UN warning of the global risk as misinformation and lack of funding impact vaccination rates. Different communities in Canada have been hit, but experts link the brunt of the outbreak to anti-vaccine Anabaptist groups in the provinces of Ontario and Alberta. Growing up in Aylmer, a bucolic town surrounded by farmland in southwestern Ontario, Brett Hueston said he didn't give much thought to the differing world views among the town's religious and secular residents. That changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. "I grew up, perhaps naively, thinking that we were all sort of on the same page as a community," said Hueston, 40, whose family publishes the 145-year-old local paper, the Aylmer Express. "Covid really exploited whatever differences there were," he said. Aylmer was a pandemic flashpoint. The town has 13 churches, a substantial number given its roughly 8,000 population. A major congregation - the Aylmer Church of God that sits on an expansive, well-manicured grounds - enthusiastically defied some lockdown restrictions. The church's pastor, Henry Hildebrandt, tried to challenge the rules in the supreme court, before agreeing in 2022 to pay a CAN$65,000 fine for gathering people to worship. Hildebrandt said he admitted "to one count of obeying God rather than man," asserting that he had knowingly broken the law. Hueston said "when measles came up, I thought, I know where this is going." "Everybody thinks... Mennonites are (all) anti-vaxers. It certainly isn't the case, but there's certainly a conservative part of this end of the county that is strongly anti-vaxer, and I don't quite understand it," he said. 'Difficult to watch' Michelle Barton-Forbes heads the infectious diseases division at the Children's Hospital at the London Health Sciences Center, southwestern Ontario's main referral hospital. She's seen some of the most serious paediatric measles cases this year and said observing the recurrence of a once eradicated virus has been "difficult to watch." She noted that not every case can be tied to unvaccinated Mennonites. Infections have also occurred among new immigrants from the developing world who, for various reasons, did not keep up with immunisations after settling in Canada, including due to an acute family doctor shortage. Barton said it was long clear "pockets of unvaccinated people" made the region vulnerable to measles. She recounted a range of attitudes towards vaccines among Mennonite families. Some mothers, when confronted with how sick their children had become, voiced openness to vaccinating their other children, only to back away, fearing consequences from their husband or pastor, Barton said. "They don't want to go against the grain of their culture, and they don't want to go against the (church) elders," she said. She also voiced sympathy for a Mennonite community that faced "resentment" from some healthcare workers, who at times displayed frustration over having to respond to an entirely preventable outbreak. Barton said she hoped the relationships forged between medical staff and vaccine-sceptical families could improve acceptance, and she encouraged public health officials to persist in trying to bring church leaders on board. 'Wall of lies For Alon Vaisman, an infectious diseases doctor at Ontario's University Health Network, officials must keep trying, regardless of opposition. "From a public health perspective we ought not to accept anything to be insurmountable when it comes to vaccine campaigns." Child vaccination rates remain below where they need to be, making another viral outbreak, including measles, possible, Vaisman said. "There really needs to be more of an effort," he told AFP, conceding the difficulty of finding a successful path forward.
eNCA
6 days ago
- Health
- eNCA
In rural Canadian town, new risk of measles deepens vaccine tensions
AYLMER - In the Canadian town of Aylmer, where Mennonites in traditional dress walk down the main street alongside secular locals, bitter divisions over vaccine skepticism that arose during Covid have intensified with the reemergence of measles. Canada, which officially eradicated measles in 1998, has registered over 3,500 cases this year and the United States is confronting its worst measles epidemic in 30 years, with the UN warning of the global risk as misinformation and lack of funding impact vaccination rates. Different communities in Canada have been hit, but experts link the brunt of the outbreak to anti-vaccine Anabaptist groups in the provinces of Ontario and Alberta. Growing up in Aylmer, a bucolic town surrounded by farmland in southwestern Ontario, Brett Hueston said he didn't give much thought to the differing world views among the town's religious and secular residents. That changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. "I grew up, perhaps naively, thinking that we were all sort of on the same page as a community," said Hueston, whose family publishes the 145-year-old local paper, the Aylmer Express. "Covid really exploited whatever differences there were," he told AFP. Aylmer was a pandemic flashpoint. The town has 13 churches, a substantial number given its roughly 8,000 population. A major congregation -- the Aylmer Church of God that sits on an expansive, well-manicured grounds -- enthusiastically defied some lockdown restrictions. The church's pastor, Henry Hildebrandt, tried to challenge the rules in the supreme court, before agreeing in 2022 to pay a CAN$65,000 ($47,400) fine for gathering people to worship. Hildebrandt said he admitted "to one count of obeying God rather than man," asserting that he had knowingly broken the law. Hueston said "when measles came up, I thought, I know where this is going." AFP | Geoff Robins "Everybody thinks... Mennonites are (all) anti-vaxers. It certainly isn't the case, but there's certainly a conservative part of this end of the county that is strongly anti-vaxer, and I don't quite understand it," he told AFP. - 'Difficult to watch' - Michelle Barton heads the infectious diseases division at the Children's Hospital at the London Health Sciences Center, southwestern Ontario's main referral hospital. She's seen some of the most serious pediatric measles cases this year and told AFP observing the recurrence of a once eradicated virus has been "difficult to watch." She noted that not every case can be tied to unvaccinated Mennonites. Infections have also occurred among new immigrants from the developing world who, for various reasons, did not keep up with immunisations after settling in Canada, including due to an acute family doctor shortage. Barton said it was long clear "pockets of unvaccinated people" made the region vulnerable to measles. She recounted a range of attitudes towards vaccines among Mennonite families. Some mothers, when confronted with how sick their children had become, voiced openness to vaccinating their other children, only to back away, fearing consequences from their husband or pastor, Barton told AFP. "They don't want to go against the grain of their culture, and they don't want to go against the (church) elders," she said. She also voiced sympathy for a Mennonite community that faced "resentment" from some healthcare workers, who at times displayed frustration over having to respond to an entirely preventable outbreak. Barton said she hoped the relationships forged between medical staff and vaccine-skeptical families could improve acceptance, and she encouraged public health officials to persist in trying to bring church leaders on board. - 'Wall of lies' - AFP | Geoff Robins For Alon Vaisman, an infectious diseases doctor at Ontario's University Health Network, officials must keep trying, regardless of opposition. "From a public health perspective, we ought not to accept anything to be insurmountable when it comes to vaccine campaigns." Child vaccination rates remain below where they need to be, making another viral outbreak, including measles, possible, Vaisman said. "There really needs to be more of an effort," he told AFP, conceding the difficulty of finding a successful path forward. "You're fighting against the wall of disinformation and lies," he said. by Ben Simon
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Health
- Straits Times
In rural Canadian town, new risk of measles deepens vaccine tensions
Find out what's new on ST website and app. AYLMER, Ontario - In the Canadian town of Aylmer, where Mennonites in traditional dress walk down the main street alongside secular locals, bitter divisions over vaccine scepticism that arose during Covid-19 have intensified with the re-emergence of measles. Mennonites are members of a Protestant sect, originating from the 16th century reformation. Anabaptists and Mennonite are a group believing in adult baptism, as opposed to infant baptism. Canada, which officially eradicated measles in 1998, has registered over 3,500 cases in 2025 and the United States is confronting its worst measles epidemic in 30 years, with the UN warning of the global risk as misinformation and lack of funding impact vaccination rates. Different communities in Canada have been hit, but experts link the brunt of the outbreak to anti-vaccine Anabaptist groups in the provinces of Ontario and Alberta. Growing up in Aylmer, a bucolic town surrounded by farmland in south-western Ontario, Mr Brett Hueston said he didn't give much thought to the differing world views among the town's religious and secular residents. That changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump diagnosed with vein condition causing leg swelling: White House World Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. What is it? 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A major congregation – the Aylmer Church of God that sits on an expansive, well-manicured grounds – enthusiastically defied some lockdown restrictions. The church's pastor, Henry Hildebrandt, tried to challenge the rules in the supreme court, before agreeing in 2022 to pay a C $65,000 ( S$60,750 ) fine for gathering people to worship. Mr Hildebrandt said he admitted 'to one count of obeying God rather than man,' asserting that he had knowingly broken the law. Mr Hueston said 'when measles came up, I thought, I know where this is going.' 'Everybody thinks... Mennonites are (all) anti-vaxers. It certainly isn't the case, but there's certainly a conservative part of this end of the county that is strongly anti-vaxer, and I don't quite understand it,' he told AFP. Difficult to watch Dr Michelle Barton heads the infectious diseases division at the Children's Hospital at the London Health Sciences Center, south-western Ontario's main referral hospital. She's seen some of the most serious pediatric measles cases in 2025 and told AFP observing the recurrence of a once eradicated virus has been 'difficult to watch.' She noted that not every case can be tied to unvaccinated Mennonites. Infections have also occurred among new immigrants from the developing world who, for various reasons, did not keep up with immunisations after settling in Canada, including due to an acute family doctor shortage. Dr Barton said it was long clear 'pockets of unvaccinated people' made the region vulnerable to measles. She recounted a range of attitudes towards vaccines among Mennonite families. Some mothers, when confronted with how sick their children had become, voiced openness to vaccinating their other children, only to back away, fearing consequences from their husband or pastor, Dr Barton told AFP. 'They don't want to go against the grain of their culture, and they don't want to go against the (church) elders,' she said. She also voiced sympathy for a Mennonite community that faced 'resentment' from some healthcare workers, who at times displayed frustration over having to respond to an entirely preventable outbreak. Dr Barton said she hoped the relationships forged between medical staff and vaccine- sceptical families could improve acceptance, and she encouraged public health officials to persist in trying to bring church leaders on board. Wall of lies For Dr Alon Vaisman, an infectious diseases doctor at Ontario's University Health Network, officials must keep trying, regardless of opposition. 'From a public health perspective we ought not to accept anything to be insurmountable when it comes to vaccine campaigns.' Child vaccination rates remain below where they need to be, making another viral outbreak, including measles, possible, Dr Vaisman said. 'There really needs to be more of an effort,' he told AFP, conceding the difficulty of finding a successful path forward. 'You're fighting against the wall of disinformation and lies,' he said. AFP
Int'l Business Times
6 days ago
- Health
- Int'l Business Times
In Rural Canadian Town, New Risk Of Measles Deepens Vaccine Tensions
In the Canadian town of Aylmer, where Mennonites in traditional dress walk down the main street alongside secular locals, bitter divisions over vaccine skepticism that arose during Covid have intensified with the reemergence of measles. Canada, which officially eradicated measles in 1998, has registered over 3,500 cases this year and the United States is confronting its worst measles epidemic in 30 years, with the UN warning of the global risk as misinformation and lack of funding impact vaccination rates. Different communities in Canada have been hit, but experts link the brunt of the outbreak to anti-vaccine Anabaptist groups in the provinces of Ontario and Alberta. Growing up in Aylmer, a bucolic town surrounded by farmland in southwestern Ontario, Brett Hueston said he didn't give much thought to the differing world views among the town's religious and secular residents. That changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. "I grew up, perhaps naively, thinking that we were all sort of on the same page as a community," said Hueston, 40, whose family publishes the 145-year-old local paper, the Aylmer Express. "Covid really exploited whatever differences there were," he told AFP. Aylmer was a pandemic flashpoint. The town has 13 churches, a substantial number given its roughly 8,000 population. A major congregation -- the Aylmer Church of God that sits on an expansive, well-manicured grounds -- enthusiastically defied some lockdown restrictions. The church's pastor, Henry Hildebrandt, tried to challenge the rules in the supreme court, before agreeing in 2022 to pay a CAN$65,000 ($47,400) fine for gathering people to worship. Hildebrandt said he admitted "to one count of obeying God rather than man," asserting that he had knowingly broken the law. Hueston said "when measles came up, I thought, I know where this is going." "Everybody thinks... Mennonites are (all) anti-vaxers. It certainly isn't the case, but there's certainly a conservative part of this end of the county that is strongly anti-vaxer, and I don't quite understand it," he told AFP. Michelle Barton heads the infectious diseases division at the Children's Hospital at the London Health Sciences Center, southwestern Ontario's main referral hospital. She's seen some of the most serious pediatric measles cases this year and told AFP observing the recurrence of a once eradicated virus has been "difficult to watch." She noted that not every case can be tied to unvaccinated Mennonites. Infections have also occurred among new immigrants from the developing world who, for various reasons, did not keep up with immunizations after settling in Canada, including due to an acute family doctor shortage. Barton said it was long clear "pockets of unvaccinated people" made the region vulnerable to measles. She recounted a range of attitudes towards vaccines among Mennonite families. Some mothers, when confronted with how sick their children had become, voiced openness to vaccinating their other children, only to back away, fearing consequences from their husband or pastor, Barton told AFP. "They don't want to go against the grain of their culture, and they don't want to go against the (church) elders," she said. She also voiced sympathy for a Mennonite community that faced "resentment" from some healthcare workers, who at times displayed frustration over having to respond to an entirely preventable outbreak. Barton said she hoped the relationships forged between medical staff and vaccine-skeptical families could improve acceptance, and she encouraged public health officials to persist in trying to bring church leaders on board. For Alon Vaisman, an infectious diseases doctor at Ontario's University Health Network, officials must keep trying, regardless of opposition. "From a public health perspective we ought not to accept anything to be insurmountable when it comes to vaccine campaigns." Child vaccination rates remain below where they need to be, making another viral outbreak, including measles, possible, Vaisman said. "There really needs to be more of an effort," he told AFP, conceding the difficulty of finding a successful path forward. "You're fighting against the wall of disinformation and lies," he said. Brett Hueston, publisher of the Aylmer Express newspaper AFP Paediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Michelle Barton-Forbes at the London Health Sciences Centre in London, Canada AFP A sign outside of Southwestern Public Health in St. Thomas, Canada AFP
Straits Times
09-07-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
US measles cases climb to highest level in three decades
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The US CDC reported 1,288 confirmed infections on July 9, the most since 1992 and surpassing the total for 2019. WASHINGTON – Halfway through 2025, the US's total annual measles cases have reached a level not seen in more than three decades. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 1,288 confirmed infections on July 9, the most since 1992 and surpassing the total for 2019, the last time the nation grappled with a measles surge. More than two-thirds of states have reported at least one case to the CDC, and there have been 27 outbreaks, defined as three or more related cases. Three people have died from measles infections since the outbreak began in January, including two unvaccinated children in Texas. The vast majority of cases have been among unvaccinated people. The Trump administration has pulled back on broad support of immunisation to protect public health. Mr Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the nation's top health official, has incorrectly linked autism to the measles vaccine. Mr Kennedy in June removed all the members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices and added vaccine critics. The revamped panel created a subcommittee to review the childhood and adult vaccination schedules, which include measles vaccines. The sharp rise in measles in 2025 has alarmed public health experts. In 2000, the US declared measles formally eliminated after there was no continuous spread of the virus for 12 consecutive months. The current outbreak could upend this, according to the American Medical Association. Measles is highly contagious, and a community needs to be at least 95 per cent vaccinated to stop its spread. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is 97 per cent effective in protecting against the virus after two doses. The current high case count can be attributed to declining childhood vaccination rates. For the 2023-2024 school year, vaccination rates for kindergarteners fell below 93 per cent, according to the CDC. In the 2019-2020 school year, the CDC reported 95 per cent of kindergarteners were vaccinated. In previous years, most US measles cases were linked to travellers who were exposed to the virus abroad. In May, the CDC issued an advisory that all international travellers should to be fully vaccinated against measles before their trips. If current vaccination trends continue, the US could see more than 50 million measles cases in the next 25 years, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The 2019 measles outbreak centred around Orthodox Jewish communities in New York, which had been targeted by anti-vaccination groups with false claims that the shots cause autism and contained ingredients that violated kosher dietary laws. The 2025 increase in measles cases was initially driven by an outbreak in West Texas among the area's Mennonites, who often apply for religious exemptions to school vaccine mandates. Texas reported no new measles cases on July 8, with the state's total to 753 since the outbreak began in January. The epicentre – Gaines County – is no longer designated as an outbreak county, according to the state's dashboard. Infections started to decline after an uptick in vaccinations. BLOOMBERG
