Anti-vax moms suing NYC as US moves toward record measles spread

On Monday, April 15, five unnamed mothers in New York City filed a lawsuit to block the city's compulsory vaccination record in areas affected by a massive measles outbreak since last October.

Municipal health officials announced the order earlier this month, declaring a public health emergency linked to the outbreak, which has left 329 people sick, mostly children. According to the city's order, all unvaccinated persons listed in the postal codes concerned must receive the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, prove their immunity or benefit from a medical exemption. valid. Offenders could face a $ 1,000 fine.

In the lawsuit, the mothers claimed that the epidemic was not a dangerous epidemic (although the virus could cause serious complications and even death) and that the city's orders were "arbitrary and capricious". In addition, they allege that the MMR vaccine poses significant safety problems (which is false, the adverse effects beyond temporary and temporary discomfort are extremely rare) and that Order violates their religious freedom.

This lawsuit is just the latest example of anti-vaccine parents challenging the legality of public health officials' efforts to fight measles cases – which are piling up at an unprecedented rate across the states. -United. While the mothers filed their complaint Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated the number of measles cases nationwide this year, yielding 555 confirmed cases in 20 states. This increase is largely due to parents in island communities who refuse or fail to vaccinate their children due to misinformation and fear about vaccine safety by anti-vaccine advocates.

The figure of 555 for 2019 is the second highest since measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000. This means that the highly contagious virus is no longer considered to be spreading continuously in the country, although international travelers hatched of different sizes). The count of this year is only exceeded by that of 2014, which recorded 667 cases. In all likelihood, 2019 will rapidly exceed the 2014 total – and this, rapidly – given the rate of case reporting and the fact that there are six separate outbreaks still underway in the country. Surpassing the 2014 total, 2019 would be the worst year for measles cases in the United States this century.

To avoid this, the local health services have taken some pretty dramatic steps to stop the spread of the disease. These steps include reporting of public health emergencies, prohibition of unvaccinated in schools and public places, and mandatory vaccination.

But anti-vaccine parents have, over the years, taken legal action against many of these efforts, arguing, like mothers, that measles is not dangerous (that's), that the vaccine is dangerous ( it is not) and that measures violate individual freedoms.

Parents in Rockland County, New York, filed lawsuits after health officials banned unvaccinated children from school and again after officials banned them public. The county is facing an ongoing measles epidemic that has sickened 186 people, mostly children. Although a federal judge initially rejected the parents' request for an injunction against the school ban, a state judge subsequently put end to the ban imposed by the county on unvaccinated children in public spaces.

Rockland officials doubled their efforts Tuesday (April 16th), issuing two new orders. One of them is forbidden to anyone with measles or anyone exposed from indoor and outdoor public gathering places. The other order represses students who have not well documented their immunizations or their exemptions.

"It is unacceptable to do nothing when more and more residents are living with this deadly disease and court decisions are set aside, we will never do that," said Ed Day, Rockland County Executive. in a statement. "In 2017, measles killed 110,000 people worldwide, mostly children under the age of 5. Luckily, no deaths have been reported here in Rockland, but several hospitalizations have been reported, including an infant and even a premature birth caused by measles. "

In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city had consulted with lawyers before giving his immunization mandate and that he was confident that this mandate would be upheld in court.