Meanwhile, New York City declares public health emergency over measles outbreak in Brooklyn
TUESDAY, April 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The number of reported measles cases in the United States hit 465 as of April 4, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. That is 78 more than in the previous week’s update, CNN reported.
In the update, the CDC said that Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Nevada had their first cases of measles this year, bringing the total number of states reporting cases to 19. The other states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, CNN reported. The number of measles cases this year “is the second greatest number of cases reported in the United States since measles was eliminated in 2000,” according to the CDC. Last year’s total was 372 cases. The largest outbreak occurred in 2014, with 667 cases, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, a public health emergency has been declared in New York City as it grapples with one of the largest measles outbreaks in decades, which is centered in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn. Unvaccinated people living in certain ZIP codes in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, will have to get the measles vaccine, and those who do not comply will be issued violations and possibly fines, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, The New York Times reported.
There have been 285 confirmed measles cases in New York City since the outbreak began last fall. Most have been in Hasidic communities in Williamsburg and Borough Park, Brooklyn. Last December, the city ordered students who were not vaccinated against measles to be prohibited from attending classes in ultra-Orthodox schools in selected ZIP codes, but city officials have admitted that it was not effective. On Tuesday, de Blasio said the city would fine or even temporarily shut down yeshivas that did not abide by the order, The Times reported. Rockland County, New York, is also struggling with a measles outbreak. As of late last week, there had been at least 166 confirmed cases. On March 26, county officials issued a 30-day emergency order banning unvaccinated children younger than 18 years from being in public places such as shopping centers, businesses, restaurants, schools, and places of worship. However, that ban was overturned by a judge last Friday.
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