Detroit outbreak linked to visit to Israel



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SOUTHFIELD, Michigan (Detroit Jewish News) – Health officials and local Jewish institutions are warning of a measles outbreak in the Detroit area that is linked to a person visiting Israel.

Eighteen cases of contagious disease have been confirmed in Oakland County since March 13.

According to officials, people may have been exposed this month in Detroit and the suburbs of Oak Park, Southfield and Berkley, including synagogues, Jewish schools, a kosher market and grocery stores.

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The Israelis had visited synagogues, businesses, and yeshivas before the Purim holidays after arriving from New York, where a measles epidemic was raging in some Orthodox Jewish communities.

On Friday, more than 200 people had been vaccinated at two clinics organized by the Oakland County Health Division. Another clinic was set up Sunday at Young Israel of Oak Park. Hatzalah Detroit, a non-profit first-responder organization based in Oak Park, has set up a measles question and answer line at (248) 313-4952.

"All I can say is that as a person whose grandchildren are too young to be immune and that his daughter is potentially much more severely affected by measles than the general population, I am horrified to see that this remains a problem, "Lisa Shevin of Oak Park told the Jewish News. "I understand that some people are worried about the choice of parents, but there is a time when the good of society as a whole must take precedence."

Lisa Klein, a pediatrician with offices in Troy and Novi, said her cell phone and office phone "were exploding" with calls from the concerned caregivers.

In a photo from Tuesday, April 10, 2012, a view of Midtown is seen looking south on Woodward Ave. in Detroit. A town infamous for its population exodus, its unemployment, its decay and its crime would seem to be a strange place for an upscale organic and natural grocer. There is no doubt that Whole Foods Market Inc. is in fashion, as is the area of ​​Motor City where it plans to open its doors next year. The area known as Midtown is an anomaly in the tough city that is going through a difficult time. (Photo AP / Carlos Osorio)

In a photo from April 10, 2012, a view of Midtown is seen to the south on Woodward Ave. in Detroit. (Photo AP / Carlos Osorio)

The Michigan law requires that children enrolled in public and private schools, nurseries and approved nursery schools be vaccinated, except where there are exceptions based on medical or religious objections. Private schools may choose not to accept waivers.

A woman who answered the phone on Friday morning at Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Oak Park said that the school's policy states that all students must be vaccinated. The same is true of the Yeshiva Beth Yehudah in Southfield. School Deans and Shragie Myers, Executive Director, Rabbi Yitzchok Grossbard, said all admitted students needed to have their vaccinations up to date to attend, unless exceptional medical reasons can not help them. be documented and signed by a doctor. professional.

The Farber Hebrew Day School on Friday issued a statement in which it stated, among other things, that the school "has a clear policy requiring that all students be fully vaccinated in accordance with the standards and schedule of the Department of Health".

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