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Commissioner Yoder urges families to boost MMR vaccination after county rates fall below herd immunity levels
Summary
Commissioner Alice Yoder, citing her background as a nurse and hospital administrator, told the Board that Lancaster County kindergarten MMR coverage was about 90.5% in 2023–24 and urged residents to consult the Pennsylvania Department of Health for updated vaccine information.
Commissioner Alice Yoder used her Feb. 4 remarks to raise public-health concerns, saying she had overseen immunization outreach earlier in her career and that vaccination coverage has declined locally and nationally. She said MMR vaccination rates among Lancaster County kindergarteners were "around 90.5% in 2023–24," which she described as below the level needed for community immunity in some communities.
"As a nurse and as your county commissioner, I’ve dedicated my life to protecting public health," Yoder said, framing her comments with her professional experience in immunization outreach. She called the measles vaccine "safe, highly effective," and urged parents and residents to consult the Pennsylvania Department of Health for current information on vaccines.
Yoder emphasized the groups most vulnerable to measles outbreaks — infants, older adults and people with weakened immune systems — and said maintaining high vaccination coverage protects schools and neighborhoods as well as individuals. No formal public-health action or vote was recorded at the meeting; the comments were recorded as a commissioner statement directing residents to state health resources.
