Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier today declared a public health emergency in select Williamsburg zip codes -11205, 11206, 11211, 11249- following a measles outbreak affecting the Orthodox Jewish community.
De Blasio alongside NYC Commissioner of Health Dr. Oxiris Barbot and Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio announced the mandatory vaccinations for all people in the Williamsburg neighborhood of North Brooklyn. Those within the area 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.
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.”
The order comes as the number of measles cases has exploded in the borough, going from just 2 in 2017, to 56 in 2018 and to a whopping 229 in 2018 so far.
Of the 285 cases that have been confirmed since the beginning of the outbreak starting Sept. 30, 2018, 246 cases have been in children under 18 years of age with the remaining 39 cases in adults. Those affected in age range from 1 month to 66 years old.
“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,” said Palacio.
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.
According to the administration, there is about 1800 children under the age of 18 that still remain unvaccinated.
While the MMR vaccine is the safest and most effective method of preventing measles, it is only 97 percent effective, so population-wide immunity is a key component to protecting the most at risk New Yorkers. Pregnant women — even if they have received the MMR vaccine — are still at risk of complications including birth defects or loss of pregnancy.
“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 Dr. Oxiris Barbot.
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, which was first announced in December.
Now any school out of compliance will immediately be issued a violation and could be subject to closure.
