Low Vaccination Rates Driving Measles Outbreak in Wisconsin » Urban Milwaukee
Low Vaccination Rates Driving Measles Outbreak in Wisconsin
All but one of 48 cases was someone unvaccinated, all in just three counties
By
Hope Kirwan, Wisconsin Public Radio – Aug 22nd, 2026 01:14 pm
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A skin rash is observed on a patient’s abdomen 3-days after the onset of a measles infection. The image was captured at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in 1958. Photo by Heinz F. Eichenwald, MD /CDC Public Health Image Library
A measles outbreak in the southwestern corner of Wisconsin continues to grow
As of Friday, the state Department of Health Services has identified 41 confirmed and 7 probable cases across Iowa, Lafayette and Grant counties
All but one of the people infected with measles in Wisconsin this year have been unvaccinated, according to state data. Just over half of the cases have been in children and teens, while 44 percent are in adults
State and local health officials are working to stop the highly-contagious virus from spreading further. But that work is being made more complicated by low vaccination rates in some communities
DHS spokesperson Jennifer Miller said in an email that while the situation remains fluid, “we are seeing confirmed cases in pockets of our communities where individuals are under-vaccinated or unvaccinated.”
“Whenever there are pockets of lower immunization coverage — whether due to geographic location, health care access, or personal reasons — highly contagious viruses can spread quickly,” Miller wrote
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Like the rest of the U.S., childhood vaccination rates have fallen in Wisconsin as parents’ uncertainty, and in some cases skepticism, around vaccines has spread in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
But state data shows some of the southwestern communities have had declining uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine series well before pandemic
Only 60 percent of two-year-olds in Lafayette County had received one or more of the shots in 2025. Grant County’s rate was just under 64 percent
Iowa County, where the majority of the recent measles cases have been located, had a rate similar to the statewide average at nearly 81 percent. But it’s still well below the threshold needed to prevent an outbreak at 95 percent
Plain community may be affected
One community in the region that may be affected by lower vaccination rates are the Amish and Mennonite faith groups. The Christian communities are collectively known as Plain people because of their selective use of modern technology and conservative style of clothes
Wisconsin has the fourth-largest Amish population of any state in the country, with an estimated 27, 535 Amish people living in the state as of 2025. The population data from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania shows more than 3,000 Amish live across Grant, Lafayette and Iowa counties
Mark Louden, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of Germanic linguistics, is an interpreter and cultural liaison for the state’s Plain communities. He said the Plain people in Grant and Lafayette Counties have strong family ties to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
“There’s a lot of back and forth, just like people traveling back and forth, visiting and so forth, especially this time of year,” he said
Lancaster County is home to the largest Amish settlement in the U.S. and is at the center of a major outbreak of measles that has sickened more than 300 people in Pennsylvania
Louden said that while Amish and Mennonites have community standards for technology, health care choices are left up to individuals and their families
“Even the most conservative or traditional groups out there do access Western healthcare,” Louden said. “While there may be some families that have their kids not vaccinated at all, that’s pretty exceptional.”
Louden characterized Plain communities as “vaccine cautious”. He said they’re more likely to choose which shots they want their children to get instead of just following a recommended vaccination schedule
But he said their caution or even distrust of vaccines doesn’t just come from their cultural beliefs
“(It) has been amplified by what they hear from their non-Plain neighbors, who are going down internet rabbit holes and watching certain networks,” Louden said
Jack Sauer, chair of the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors, said like many places in the U.S., his county used to have higher rates of vaccination. But he questioned how much national rhetoric that questions childhood vaccinations, including from leaders of President Donald Trump’s administration, have had an impact
“If you listen to anyone on the federal level, there’s a lot of going back and forth on whether the immunizations are good for you or bad for your or whatever they are,” Sauer said. “But I know when I was growing up, which was a long time ago, they were pretty well acceptable.”
Given the rapid spread of cases in neighboring Iowa County, he expects to see more cases in his county before the outbreak is over
Iowa County Health Officer Debbie Siegenthaler said in an email that her department is working to identify cases and potential exposures and make sure people have access to testing and vaccination
She strongly encouraged residents to check their vaccination status through the Wisconsin Immunization Registry or through their healthcare provider, especially as children head back to school
“With increasing number of cases, we want residents to be aware of measles even if they have not been notified of a direct exposure,” Siegenthaler said in the email
The county is holding a communityvaccinationclinicat the Mineral Point Rescue Squad office on Monday, August 24 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m
Low vaccination rates driving measles outbreak in southwest Wisconsinwas originally
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