Measles outbreak at Texas megachurch

Vaccinations work, people

Published August 26, 2013 3:48PM (EDT)

   (Reuters/Rebecca Naden)
(Reuters/Rebecca Naden)

A visitor to a Texas megachurch infected several members of the congregation with measles USA Today reports. While the potentially disease has officially been eradicated from the Western hemisphere it can be imported from overseas:

The country's safety net has become more porous in recent years. Although overall vaccination rates remain high, communities of like-minded parents who refuse immunizations for their children have been vulnerable to outbreaks.

The latest measles outbreak is in Texas, where the virus has sickened 25 people, most of whom are members or visitors of a church led by the daughter of televangelist Kenneth Copeland.

Fifteen of the measles cases are centered around Eagle Mountain International Church in Newark, Texas, whose senior pastor, Terri Pearsons, has previously been critical of measles vaccinations.


By Alex Halperin

Alex Halperin is news editor at Salon. You can follow him on Twitter @alexhalperin.

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Disease Measles Science Vaccination Virus