New York – The worst measles outbreak in the United States in 25 years has spread to Oklahoma, federal health officials said on Monday as they reported 41 new cases nationwide, raising the total number sickened this year to 880 people.
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 4.9% increase in the number of measles cases from May 10 to May 17 in an outbreak that has now reached 24 states. The agency has been providing weekly updates every Monday.
The CDC said there had been one confirmed case in Oklahoma.
Most of the new cases were in New York, CDC spokesman Jason McDonald said, with 21 cases recorded in New York City and nine in Rockland County.
Health experts say the virus has spread among school-age children whose parents declined to give them the vaccine, which confers immunity to the disease. A vocal fringe of U.S. parents, some in New York’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, cite concerns that the vaccine may cause autism, despite scientific studies that have debunked such claims.
Although the virus was eliminated from the country in 2000, meaning the disease was no longer a constant presence, outbreaks still happen via travelers coming from countries where measles is still common, according to the CDC.
Experts warn that the outbreak is not over as the number of cases approaches the 1994 total of 958. That was the highest number since 1992, when the CDC recorded 2,126 cases.
More than 40 people in 2019 brought measles to the United States from other countries, most frequently Ukraine, Israel and the Philippines, federal officials said.
Can you read alt-yidden? How embarrassing! These anti-vaxxers ym’s are endangering the klal! Do they really want to go back to the days of the pogroms?
Let it be known to everyone that the people in the Orthodox community who dont vaccinate their children are a fringe group they are a minority of a minority.
But the damage they do to the Frum community is unrepairable.
The Chilul Hashem they cause is humongous.
There is a VERY FAMOUS Orthodox news phone hotline which is based in Brooklyn they report worldwide news on a minute by minute basis especial news that pertains to the Frum community. Thousands of frum Jews worldwide call in daily to listen.
They have many many interviews daily on all kind of topics including doctors,lawyers,pilots and anything and everything.
It is a HUGE SHANDA that on the topic of Vaccination they talk nothing like the topic doesn’t even exists.
They are doing a huge disservice to the entire worldwide Jewish community by ignoring the topic.
the anti-semites are encouraged by news like this, this leads to attacks and verbal assaults.