New York – The de Blasio Administration today declared a public health emergency in select zip codes in Williamsburg, following a measles outbreak affecting the Orthodox Jewish community. As part of the declaration, unvaccinated individuals living in those ZIP codes who may have been exposed to measles will be required to receive the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine in order to protect others in the community and help curtail the ongoing outbreak.
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Under the mandatory vaccinations, members of the City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will check the vaccination records of any individual who may have been in contact with infected patients. Those who have not received the MMR vaccine or do not have evidence of immunity may be given a violation and could be fined $1,000.
“There’s no question that vaccines are safe, effective and life-saving,” said Mayor de Blasio. “I urge everyone, especially those in affected areas, to get their MMR vaccines to protect their children, families and communities.”
“Measles is a dangerous, potentially deadly disease that can easily be prevented with vaccine,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio. “When people choose not to get their children vaccinated, they are putting their children and others – such as pregnant women, people on chemotherapy, and the elderly – at risk of contracting measles. The City has worked aggressively to end this outbreak, and today’s declaration of a public health emergency and new vaccine mandate, in combination with the blanket Commissioner’s Orders for yeshivas, ensures we are using every tool to protect New Yorkers.”
“As a pediatrician, I know the MMR vaccine is safe and effective. This outbreak is being fueled by a small group of anti-vaxxers in these neighborhoods. They have been spreading dangerous misinformation based on fake science,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. “We stand with the majority of people in this community who have worked hard to protect their children and those at risk. We’ve seen a large increase in the number of people vaccinated in these neighborhoods, but as Passover approaches, we need to do all we can to ensure more people get the vaccine.”
This public health emergency declaration comes after the NYC Health Department issued Commissioner’s Orders last week to all yeshivas and day care programs serving the Orthodox Jewish community in Williamsburg, doubling down on their order to exclude unvaccinated students or face violations and possible closure, first announced in December. Now any school out of compliance will immediately be issued a violation and could be subject to closure.
To date, 285 cases have been confirmed since the beginning of the outbreak in October, with many of these new cases being confirmed in the last two months. The vast majority of cases are children under 18 years of age (246 cases), and 39 cases are adults. Most of these measles cases were unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated individuals. There have been no deaths associated with this outbreak, although there have been complications, including 21 hospitalizations and five admissions to the intensive care unit.
Measles is a highly contagious disease and can cause severe complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and death. Measles is easily preventable with the safe and effective MMR vaccine. Newborns, pregnant individuals, and those with weakened immune systems cannot get vaccinated, so it is important that everyone around them be vaccinated in order to protect them from contracting the virus and prevent severe complications in these susceptible populations.
While the MMR vaccine is the safest and most effective method of prevent measles, it is only 97 percent effective, so population-wide immunity is a key component to protecting our most at risk New Yorkers from measles. Pregnant women — even if they have received the MMR vaccine — are still at risk of complications including birth defects or loss of pregnancy.
In February, the Department expanded vaccination recommendations for providers serving the Orthodox Jewish community to include an early, extra dose of the MMR vaccine for children between the ages of 6 months to 11 months who live in Williamsburg and Borough Park.
Precautions New Yorkers Should Take
- Measles can be prevented through vaccinations. New Yorkers should call 311 to access a list of facilities that can provide MMR at low or no cost.
- There are large outbreaks of measles in Europe and Israel, as well as in countries in South America, Africa, and Asia. New Yorkers should make sure they have been vaccinated with MMR vaccine before traveling to Europe or Israel. Infants ages 6 to 11 months should also be vaccinated prior to international travel.
- New Yorkers who believe they were exposed to measles or who have symptoms of measles should contact their health care provider before seeking care to prevent exposure to other patients.
- For more information, New Yorkers can visit the Health Department’s Measles page.
I for once agree with this corrupt mayor, but maybe for optics it would be nice to have a Hasid, unless that’s considered a prop
Jews were once known for being the greatest doctors and medical minds. Now the medieval cult in Willy has led to this! WHAT A SHANDA
Seems like something that should have been done long ago.
I don’t understand. If they declared a public health emergency, why can’t they mandate that everyone not yet up to date with their MMR vaccine and is medically allowed must vaccinate within X days?
By the time someone was exposed to the measles, it’s too late to to fight this specific exposure with the vaccine. Per the Feds it takes 21 days for immunity to kick in after the shot. That is why some doctors recommend an immune booster for babies that were exposed to the Measles. But then they aren’t allowed to vaccinate for a few months, which could violate this mandate.
It’s a huge mess, but not just by the anti-vaxxers, but by there not having been a medical consensus about all this earlier. Most 6-12 months olds were not given the extra MMR shot, not necessarily because their parents are anti-vax, but because this new recommendation wasn’t broadcast properly.
Additionally, bringing all those exposed to medical centers for an MMR shot will likely spread the Measles even more. If the city is serious about this, they should hire doctors or nurses to do home visits for vaccination.
It’s about time! Finally an official more interested in doing what’s right instead of worrying about his re-election. We have a concept of Dinah D’malchusei Dinah which the anti-vaxxers have taken to mean “u’vechukosayhem lo seileichu.” Now let’s see if the need to keep their children out of yeshivah will be enforced by the schools. It’s a sad commentary on our times when we have ordinarily intelligent women prepared to believe what they hear by their sheitelmacher as having more truth than what their own doctors tell them…
The Willies have been trained to do the opposite of everything. When you get engaged legally marry first so you can get benifits, instead of working for a paycheck scam the government, instead of filing permits build first, instead of figuring out housing situations have five children, instead of getting a steady paycheck go begging in Flatbush and other “modern” neighborhoods, should I go on?
I take back part of my last comment as I didn’t clearly understand this article. Basically, everyone in those zip codes must vaccinate, but enforcement will be done by checking up on the immunization records of those that have been exposed to someone that contracted the measles.
Free publicity!
Allow your government to make Health decisions for you, don’t wonder when they ban Metzizah Bepah, our education next!
Once the government gets to decide what to inject in our bodies we are in bad shape.
As a rule of thumb if something needs to be forced, there’s something wrong with this product…
Every dictator when losing control they more to force and that’s when the revolution happens. If they would have had a scientific evident argument they would have come out with it… And for me forcing this questions it even more…
Of course #13 is right, but we live in a politically correct society where you can say the harsh truth, yes we should attack those haters with all our might.
At the same time as we are doing this, we should have have health booklets for incoming travelers. showing all imuniations! MMR, TB, Polio, etc. They used to do it and stopped!
To #26 It would stop spreading disease and that is the main problem!
Chasid is right on. When there is no inert placebo controlled safety studies on ANY vaccine and scientific fraud done on studies that these holy doctors site, how is any Yid obligated or even allowed to inject aborted fetal cell tissues and treifa animal tissues? This is government that controls and mandates based on their own scientists that have conflict of interest. Big Pharma is controlling the govt. The anti-vaxxers are not just trying to be “healthy” and want “to do what they want”. They are uncovering the fraud that is going on. Now they are recording what is going on in the ACIP meetings for the world to see. That’s why govt/big pharma is censoring and forcing the people in the name of public health. Why force chicken pox vaccine? Why the Hep B for NEWBORNS? It is shocking to hear that only 5 days was the most that trial lasted for. Listen to Plotkin’s deposition and you decide what science is acceptable to you. These laws violate the Nuremberg Code and unconstitutional. We Yidden need to stand up and protest so history does not repeat itself. It won’t repeat itself exactly the way it was. Just in a more modernized way. Wake up! Search for the truth!