Iowa refugees and immigrants now have a way to access more information on measles vaccinations.
Refugee & Immigrant Voices in Action (RIVA), an Iowa nonprofit in Des Moines that empowers refugees, immigrants and organizations they lead, launched a website May 6 that houses resources on the contagious disease, how vaccinations work and where to get vaccinated. Its latest effort is part of a larger campaign to raise awareness of measles cases, which are steadily rising across the U.S.
As of May 1, 935 measles cases have been reported in 30 states, including Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota and Missouri, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ninety-six percent of those infected were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status.
So far, there have been 12 outbreaks in 2025, and 93% of the confirmed cases — 869 of 935 — are associated with those outbreaks, the CDC also reported.
Iowa has yet to see measles cases. But given the highly contagious nature of the disease and the state’s current vaccination rate, health experts say Iowa faces a very real risk of a potential outbreak.
RIVA co-founder and Executive Director Henny Ohr said she is concerned for migrant workers coming to Iowa over the summer for agricultural jobs and wants to ensure they are informed of the disease that has already claimed three lives.
“It’s very close quarters,” Ohr said of migrants’ working and living conditions. “Even right now, when we talk to people, there’s misinformation about what to do.”
Here’s what to know about RIVA’s campaign:
What languages are available?
RIVA’s measles awareness campaign, Voices for Health, is part of the nonprofit’s ongoing work to address health disparities and mirrors a similar initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic. The newest campaign seeks to provide information in braille and other languages to reach more refugees and immigrants, especially for newer arrivals, Ohr said.
A helpline is available in English and Spanish, and hopefully more languages as RIVA continues to grow its partnerships with community organizations, Ohr said. For information in English, call 515-512-1881. For Spanish, call 515-216-0009.
Ohr said she’s also looking to add the following languages to the website:
What else does the campaign feature?
Another critical aspect of the campaign are community health navigators. These individuals are key as they build trust with communities and share critical health information, resources and more.
Ohr said she plans to hire more navigators, who also will tackle other health initiatives such as access to diabetes screenings and blood pressure checks.
“We’re trying to push this out right away,” she said about Voices of Health. “… This is going to be a really, really fast, impactful campaign that we hope will continue in terms of providing resources and information.”
To learn more about RIVA’s measles campaign, visit voicesforhealthriva.org. For more information on RIVA, visit www.rivaiowa.org.
F. Amanda Tugade covers social justice issues for the Des Moines Register. Email her at ftugade@dmreg.com or follow her on X @writefelissa.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: New measles campaign targets Iowa’s refugees, immigrants amid nationwide outbreak
Reporting by F. Amanda Tugade, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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