ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Four Amish children in central Minnesota reportedly have been infected with the polio virus, the first such outbreak in the United States in 26 years.
None of the four, however, has been paralyzed by the virus, reports The St. Paul Pioneer Press.
A state health official says the outbreak poses little threat to children outside the Amish community as 98 percent of Minnesota's children are vaccinated against polio.
The last large outbreak of polio occurred in numerous Amish communities in several states in 1979 as the Amish decline to vaccinate their children. State officials say they cannot force vaccinations on any child.
The latest outbreak was discovered by chance last month after a 7-month-old with a severe immune deficiency disease was tested for another problem, the report said. All four of the children affected are under the age of 16, the Pioneer Press said.
