She was 20 years old. She\u2019d been married barely a year. But a 20-year-old Amish woman with measles has died after her family had her ventilator turned off. <\/p>\n
\u201cHer immune system wasn\u2019t built up,\u201d her grandmother told local media<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cShe just couldn\u2019t take it with the measles.\u201d<\/p>\n Be the first to know when news breaks. Download our new app<\/a><\/p>\n Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, has become the epicentre of the United States measles outbreak with 1004 confirmed cases. <\/p>\n Five have died.<\/p>\n And it is continuing its relentless march across the country.<\/p>\n New York declared a State Disaster Emergency this week after its count topped 108. Seven of these are in New York City\u2019s close quarters.<\/p>\n Ohio, which borders Pennsylvania, is also experiencing an outbreak. It has logged 210 cases, with 13 sufferers hospitalised so far.<\/a><\/p>\n Wisconsin has recorded 243. But health officials say the number is likely much higher<\/a>. <\/p>\n And Florida has been warned that a new push to end mandatory vaccinations could lead to the worst outbreak in 50 years<\/a>. <\/p>\n Vaccination has become a midterm election issue in the US.<\/p>\n Leading the charge is long-time anti-vaccination campaigner and now US Secretary of Health Robert Francis Kennedy (RFK) Jr.<\/p>\n He\u2019s convinced vaccines do more harm than good.<\/p>\n So he\u2019s campaigning for a \u201cpro-choice\u201d approach.<\/p>\n And he\u2019s been rubbishing the risk measles<\/a> presents to sufferers.<\/p>\n But he\u2019s also experiencing pushback.<\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t believe that measles is an issue,\u201d states Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen I spoke to him over the phone, he wanted to lecture me about natural measles, and in many ways, making excuses.\u201c<\/p>\n Tragic tale<\/p>\n \u201cThey weren\u2019t worried,\u201d the grandmother said of the 20-year-old Amish woman\u2019s immediate family. <\/p>\n \u201cMeasles just has to take its course.\u201d<\/p>\n At least four of Pennsylvania\u2019s five measles-related deaths have been among the state\u2019s 44,000 Amish residents.<\/p>\n One, an 18-year-old Amish woman from Mifflin County, died of brain inflammation. Two newborn Amish babies in the county of Lancaster succumbed to the infection. A 40-year-old asthmatic woman who lived in the same district also died.<\/p>\n The 20-year-old Amish newlywed, also from Lancaster, had been diagnosed with leukaemia.<\/p>\n Then she, her eight siblings, her parents and her new husband all contracted measles.<\/p>\n None were vaccinated. None immediately sought medical care. <\/p>\n \u201cWe do what we can at home,\u201d the grandmother said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have so many natural things we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n Then the young woman\u2019s condition worsened.<\/p>\n \u201cShe could hardly breathe. Her lungs were just in bad shape.\u201d<\/p>\n The Amish religion does not prohibit vaccination.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t tell people not to get vaccinated,\u201d the grandmother told a local reporter. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s up to each person.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s the line Secretary of Health Kennedy is pushing. And Florida\u2019s Governor, Ronald DeSantis.<\/p>\n And Mr Kennedy continues to refuse to allow the CDC to provide a national count for measles deaths. He insists it isn\u2019t the cause of the vast majority of deaths. Underlying conditions are. <\/p>\n But he is very worried about vaccinations.<\/p>\n Mr Kennedy opened a new clinic at the National Institutes of Health this week, \u201cdedicated to studying and caring for patients experiencing health problems following vaccination\u201d.<\/p>\n He also proposed rewarding doctors who report vaccination issues to the VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) with a cash payment.<\/p>\n Such reports do not need to be verified.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must listen to patients and families who report vaccine injuries \u2013 not dismiss or gaslight them,\u201d Mr Kennedy said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Trump and I are building a health system that takes them seriously, follows the evidence, and uses what we learn to make vaccines safer. This is how we earn back trust in our public health institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n Public Enemy No 1<\/p>\n Measles is widely considered the world\u2019s most virulent human contagion.<\/p>\n It brings with it fever, a runny nose \u2013 and, after several days, a distinctive rash. But its associated coughing can also produce pneumonia. Inflammation can also lead to encephalitis, a swelling of the brain.<\/p>\n More than 90 per cent of those exposed to the virus go on to develop the disease. That is why more than 95 per cent of any given population must be vaccinated to halt its spread.<\/p>\n Some 20 per cent of all cases need hospitalisation. Between one and three out of every 1000 sufferers die.<\/p>\n A global vaccination effort had pushed the virus to the point of eradication. But conspiracy theories and medical myths have since become entrenched in various community and commercial interest groups.<\/p>\n US vaccination levels had fallen to about 92 per cent before the current outbreak. In some areas, that figure was far lower.<\/p>\n