Detroit Rabbis Help Thousands Get Measles Vaccine – The Forward

Health officials in Detroit worked with local rabbis to vaccinate the Orthodox Jewish community after a man from Brooklyn unknowingly infected 39 people with measles, the Washington Post reported.

After the man had a measles positive result last month and his strain of the disease matched that of the New York epidemic, the health authorities recorded vocal messages of approval from rabbis addressed to thousands of people in the local ultra-Orthodox community. He shared information about the disease and the location of the vaccination clinics, according to the Post Office.

The Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Grand Detroit issued a statement urging the community to be vaccinated, referring to Jewish law and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

It stated: "In order to protect and protect every individual in the wider community, every individual, family and institution must take the necessary precautions against anyone who chooses not to be vaccinated."

Members of the Hatzalah of the Detroit area, the community's emergency medical response group, also visited homes to test measles.

With the help of Hatzala and rabbinical leaders, the health service created three clinics in a synagogue. More than 2,100 people were vaccinated earlier this month, the Post reported. Local officials said that few people refused the vaccine. In New York, by contrast, some ultra-Orthodox parents challenge their rabbis and do not immunize their children, mainly because of myths and misinformation about the supposed risks of vaccination. The outbreak in New York is expected to worsen after the Passover celebration.

According to the Post, there are 555 cases of measles in 20 states. There have been 329 cases in New York since October.

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