Jewish man spreads measles during a New York-Michigan trip – The Forward

A man unconsciously infected 39 people with measles while he was traveling to an ultra-orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, Michigan to raise money for a charity, the Washington Post reported.

The man, known as the "Michigan Patient Zero", had stayed in private homes, visited the synagogue, and visited kosher markets, spreading the contagious respiratory virus during his trip. According to the Post, he felt bad along the way and saw a doctor in Detroit. The doctor had never met measles before and had initially diagnosed bronchitis in humans.

The situation proves how quickly measles can spread in island communities.

New York is experiencing the largest measles outbreak in recent history. It mainly concerns the Jewish Orthodox Island areas, where misinformation about vaccination has spread. According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Health, 329 cases of measles have been confirmed since last October.

Emergency situations were called in Brooklyn and in very Jewish neighborhoods in Rockland County, in the suburbs, and the rabbis urged community members to vaccinate their children. Nevertheless, some continue to refrain.

Alyssa Fisher is a writer at the Forward. Send him an e-mail at the address [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at the address @alyssalfisher