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WASHINGTON – The origin of the measles epidemic in the United States is not a mystery.
People infected with the virus have imported from Israel and Ukraine to the United States and transmitted it to members of their communities, many of whom had not been vaccinated.
The challenge for US health authorities is to prevent the spread of the epidemic.
Since January 1st, 555 cases of measles have been recorded in the United States, most of them in New York and Clark County, Washington State.
In New York, the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn was the hardest hit.
They were infected by visitors from Israel, where a measles outbreak began a year ago.
Last year, the disease spread to Brooklyn schools and synagogues in children who had never been vaccinated or who had not received the recommended vaccine between 4 and 5 years old. 6 years.
In addition to Brooklyn, another Orthodox Jewish community in Rockland County, north of New York State, has also been affected. About 200 cases have been reported.
According to the Washington Post, an epidemic in the state of Michigan – where 39 cases have been reported – has been attributed to only one person.
The orthodox Jewish man arrived in the United States from Israel, stayed in Brooklyn, and then traveled to Detroit, where he spread the disease through visits to synagogues. and in the markets.
CHILD FROM UKRAINE
In Clark County, Washington, the measles epidemic is concentrated in a Russian-speaking community.
A child brought the virus back from Ukraine in December and transmitted it to 74 other people, mostly children, through schools, supermarkets and a bowling alley.
"This kid was in a pocket of kids who were not immune by choice," said Scott Lindquist, an epidemiologist with the Washington State Department of Health.
"And that's how it started.
"What we know about this group is that they match each other," Lindquist said. "We basically took genetic fingerprints, or genetic sequencing.
"And they all correspond to the same, and they all correspond to the Ukrainian stock," he said.
A theory links epidemics in Israel and Ukraine to an annual pilgrimage to the Ukrainian city of Uman by tens of thousands of Orthodox Jewish men to visit the grave of a venerable rabbi.
Patrick O 'Connor of the World Health Organization told The New York Times that a major epidemic in Ukraine could have overfed a modest epidemic in Israel.
Nancy Messonnier, Acting Director of the Disease Control and Prevention Centers Preparedness and Response Center, said that all measles cases in the United States came from other countries.
In the United States, the number of cases is relatively low compared to other places, but this is the second highest rate since the turn of the century, when the disease was declared eliminated.
"We are certainly worried that this will be the largest number of cases since the elimination in 2000," said Messonnier.
Tens of thousands of measles cases have been reported in Africa and Europe. Ukraine alone has more than 30,000 cases and 11 deaths since January.
In the United States, epidemics have been mainly confined to very unified communities where vaccination rates are below the national average of more than 90%.
For example, there have already been epidemics within the Amish community of Ohio in 2014 and Somali immigrants to Minnesota in 2017.
Health authorities have taken strong measures to prevent the disease from spreading.
In Clark County, 849 unvaccinated students were excluded from 15 schools where children had contracted measles.
"We were very aggressive in isolating all cases, quarantining anyone who was exposed to it and excluding children from the school if they were not immunized," said Lindquist, head of health and safety. health of the state of Washington.
"And that's what has slowed this epidemic," he said. "Currently, we have not had a case for nearly 42 days."
In New York, the mayor ordered the vaccination of all residents of Williamsburg, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, and threatened to fine $ 1,000 for those who do not comply with this order.
At the same time, Rockland County has announced new measures to fight the disease, including fines of up to $ 2,000 a day.
"It is unacceptable to do nothing as more and more of our residents fall ill," said Ed Day, county manager.
Anyone with measles or exposure to a person with measles was banned from public places.
Schools were sentenced to keep children out of school who could not show proof of vaccination or a valid medical or religious exemption.
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