The Samaritans have the highest rate of human inbreeding

The Samaritans experience such a problem of inbreeding that most births are preceded by genetic testing at the Tel HaShomer hospital, in Israel. This situation has caused the rate of disabled people to rise to 12 percent within the community, pushing leaders to encourage mixed marriages. On January 1, 2003, fourteen mixed couples with Samaritan husbands were thus recorded to counter this threat.