Minnesota’s Measles Vaccination Efforts Hindered by Growing Fear in Somali Community

Public health officials in Minnesota are grappling with a worsening crisis as measles vaccination rates among the state’s Somali community continue to decline, a situation now exacerbated by recent immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis.

The vaccination challenges predate the current immigration crackdown, with health authorities noting that misinformation about vaccines has been circulating within the community for years. Particularly damaging has been the persistent and scientifically debunked myth that the measles vaccine causes autism, which has gained significant traction among Somali families in the region.

“We’ve been fighting this battle for over a decade,” said Dr. Amira Hassan, a public health physician who works closely with immigrant communities in the Twin Cities. “Even before the current situation with immigration enforcement, we were seeing vaccination rates drop to dangerous levels.”

Minnesota hosts one of the largest Somali diaspora communities in the United States, with an estimated 70,000 residents concentrated primarily in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. This community has experienced four measles outbreaks since 2011, including a particularly severe one in 2017 that resulted in 79 confirmed cases, primarily affecting unvaccinated Somali-American children.

Despite these outbreaks, health officials have struggled to reverse the declining vaccination trend. Recent data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination rates among Somali-Minnesota children have fallen to approximately 42 percent, compared to the state average of 89 percent. Public health experts warn that a minimum 95 percent vaccination rate is necessary to maintain herd immunity against highly contagious diseases like measles.

Community leaders point to a complex web of factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy. Abdi Mohamed, director of the Somali Community Outreach Center in Minneapolis, explains, “There was already deep mistrust of government institutions among many in our community who fled civil war and experienced trauma in refugee camps. Anti-vaccine activists specifically targeted our community years ago, and those messages found fertile ground.”

The problem reached a critical inflection point in 2008 when concerns about autism rates in the Somali community led to investigations by the University of Minnesota. Though researchers found no causal link between vaccines and autism, the attention generated by the studies coincided with visits from anti-vaccine activists who held community meetings promoting discredited theories.

Recent immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis have only deepened the crisis. According to local healthcare providers, clinic appointments have dropped dramatically as families avoid public spaces out of fear of detention or deportation.

“We’ve seen a 35 percent decrease in routine childhood vaccination visits in neighborhoods with large Somali populations since the enforcement actions began,” noted Dr. Patricia Reeves, medical director at North Minneapolis Community Clinic. “Families are weighing the perceived risk of immigration enforcement against the invisible threat of measles, and many are choosing to stay home.”

Public health authorities are attempting to adapt their outreach strategies in response. Mobile vaccination clinics hosted at trusted community spaces like mosques and cultural centers have shown modest success. Health workers are also emphasizing the religious compatibility of vaccines, noting that Islamic scholars have repeatedly confirmed that vaccines are permissible under Islamic law.

“We’re training community health workers from within the Somali community to serve as vaccine ambassadors,” explained Farah Ali, program coordinator with the Minnesota Immunization Network. “When information comes from someone who speaks your language, understands your culture, and shares your lived experience, it carries more weight.”

State health officials warn that the combination of low vaccination rates and decreased healthcare access creates conditions ripe for another measles outbreak, which could spread quickly through densely populated apartment complexes where many Somali families reside.

The challenge highlights the complex intersection of public health, immigration policy, and community trust. As one community health worker put it, “We’re not just fighting misinformation about vaccines; we’re fighting fear itself.”