After Mennonites in Gaines County were singled out in discourse about the spread of measles in Texas, local pastor Jake Fehr hopes to set the record straight.

The Mennonite population being affected by a measles outbreak in West Texas is part of a larger, loosely affiliated group of churches worldwide with varied beliefs and leadership structures — and with sometimes strained or distant relations with health officials and other public authorities.

The measles outbreak in Texas has reached 146 cases, marking the largest surge in nearly 30 years. A recent death of an unvaccinated child highlights the epidemic's severity. Concentrated in West Texas,