New York: Anti-vaccines generate the worst measles outbreak in 30 years

The rapid spread of measles in Brooklyn 's New York district on Tuesday forced Mayor Bill de Blasio to declare the state of health emergency in four districts of Williamsburg, one of the major enclaves of the Orthodox Jewish community.

Residents of areas covered by the municipal order must be vaccinated within the next two days. Otherwise, they will be fined up to $ 1,000. "There should be no doubt that vaccines are safe, effective and save lives," said the Mayor of New York.

In December, New York City issued an emergency order requiring some schools to ban non-immunized students from attending clbades.

This is the main factor by which the worst epidemic of the disease has developed in decades.

Two weeks ago, Rockland County asked unvaccinated children not to access public places for 30 days until the end of the emergency declaration, but a judge ordered it lifted. This is the most extreme measure up to now.

Health authorities in New York identified the first case in October: a child returning from a trip to Israel. Since then, the epidemic has become strong, with a majority of people infected under the age of 18 who have not been immunized. 280 people were reported in the city, out of a total of 495 in the United States. In February, New York intensified a campaign of information from neighbors about the need to get vaccinated. "It's the only way to stop it," they insist.

The health department of the city will review all vaccination records of neighbors likely to have been in contact with the epidemic.

The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is mandatory for school-aged children. Ultra-Orthodox families, however, welcome religious reasons for avoiding it. Since November, the health authorities have held meetings with their religious leaders and pediatricians to warn them.

Vaccine rejection

The Orthodox communities live isolated and refuse any outside interference in their rules. The mayor's decision, as indicated by the Agudath Israel organization, creates tensions.

But there are less extremist leaders who advise members of their congregations to follow the recommendations of the health authorities. Gary Schlesinger points out that "measles does not distinguish between religions" and therefore considers that "everyone should be vaccinated".

The epidemic has been the worst since 1991. New York is not the only one to be affected when measles was eradicated in the United States in 2000. The country has had the second largest epidemic since.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has 495 cases in 19 states this year. Of that total, one hundred were last week.

The authorities attribute this situation to the movement against vaccines. In fact, the CDC pointed out this week that most cases were people who were not properly protected against the virus.

Health officials insist that measles is highly contagious. "If a person suffers, 90% of the people who surround him will be infected if they are not immune."

The World Health Organization describes this disease as one of the leading killers of children. And all this despite the fact that the vaccine is available and effective.

In parallel with this situation, in its last year-end report, WHO clbadified anti-vaccines as a health risk in Europe. He has established that insufficient immunization of children, largely caused by parents who refuse to immunize their children, is one of the major risks to the well-being of Europeans.

The document stresses that Europe has achieved great progress in the health of its population in recent years. Virtually all causes of death have been reduced (25% in 15 years on average), which has resulted in an increase in life expectancy (almost one in five years, at 77.9) and also by improving the quality with which older people benefit from the years they live longer.

However, these improvements can be "slowed down" or "reversed" if steps are not taken to address structural issues such as inequities and phenomena such as non-vaccination of children.