MMR Vaccine Hesitancy Among Somali Minnesotans

The Minnesota Department of Health conducted outbreak activities and extended community interventions during their measles outbreak that began in April of 2017. Most of the cases were within the Somali-Minnesotan community and could have been attributed to declines in MMR vaccination fueled by fears of obtaining autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through vaccination. In conjunction with community partners (i.e. mosques, community leaders) and state agencies (i.e. Minnesota Department of Education, Department of Human Services) disease control efforts included an accelerated MMR vaccination series and enforcement of school exclusions of those exposed to the virus.       

Years: 2017

Locations: Minnesota

Programmatic Areas: Communication, Partnerships, school immunizations, Schools

Key Words: childcare immunizations, Communication, Cultural Competence, Culturally Appropriate, Immunization Education, outbreak management, outreach, Partnership, public awareness, public immunization data, school immunizations, social media, stakeholder engagement

Evidence Based: Yes

Evaluations: Limited

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