“Measles Outbreaks in Religious Groups Exempt from Immunization Laws”

Novotny, Thomas, Charles E. Jennings, Mary Doran, C. Ralph March, Richard S. Hopkins, Steven G.F. Wassilak, and Lauri E. Markowitz. “Measles Outbreaks in Religious Groups Exempt from Immunization Laws.” Public Health Reports 103, no. 1 (Jan/Feb 1988): 49–54.

This report analyzes two cases of measles outbreaks within communities exercising their religious rights to be exempt from immunization: one in a Christian Science college community in early 1985, and the other in a Christian Science camp for youth, later that summer. Due to the nature of their respective facilities, the two cases represent contrasting strategies. Control measures at the college included immunization and quarantine, while the summer camp consisted of dispersal of exposed persons followed by quarantine within their home states. After a measles vaccine was licensed in 1963 and the elimination program began in 1973, measles cases had dropped 99% by 1985 on a national basis. However, because those who are exempt from immunizations may not be randomly distributed, they may cluster into groups that exacerbate a contagious situation. Although Christian Science publications acknowledge individual choice for health care, an unspoken group pressure to maintain basic practices of the church may discourage general public health practices. Also, despite their usual willingness to cooperate with health authorities, Christian Science practitioners are instructed not to diagnose, and the general lack of education about the recognition of communicable disease within the Christian Science community discourages quick response to the health authorities.

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ISSN: 1468-2877
Print ISSN: 0033-3549