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Rockland County, New York, is taking a drastic step to curb the measles outbreak. Ed Day, head of Rockland County, announced Tuesday the ban on unvaccinated minors against measles from entering public places, such as restaurants, for a month. Although the police do not actively monitor the status of the vaccination, the parents of children caught overtaking the order face a prison sentence and / or a heavy fine.
The news of the ban, established via a statewide emergency statewide statement by Rockland officials, was leaked by the media earlier on Tuesday morning. At the time, many of its details, including how it would be applied, were unclear. But at a press conference held this afternoon, Day explained how it would work.
"From midnight tonight, March 27, anyone under the age of 18 who is not vaccinated against measles will be banned from public space until the declaration expires in 30 days or until they receive their first measles vaccine. [the measles, mumps, rubella, or MMR, vaccine], Said Day. Children who would be exempt from taking the vaccine for medical reasons will also be exempted from the ban.
According to Day, this is the first time a local government has enacted a ban as broad as treating measles or other vaccine-preventable diseases like chicken pox. Previously, the suburbs of New York temporarily prohibited unvaccinated minors from going to school. This ban was challenged in court by the parents in March, but their application was rejected by the presiding judge. Last week, a family of unvaccinated Kentucky teenagers sued the state's health department for their similar ban on chicken pox.
According to Day, the seriousness of the Rockland epidemic deserved a stronger ban. According to health officials, there have been 153 confirmed cases of measles in the region since last September (and probably not yet diagnosed). And despite efforts to contain the disease, including free vaccination clinics, cases have continued to spread among pockets of resistance to vaccination.
Signs announcing the ban will be placed in public areas starting this afternoon. However, he will not come with any sort of measles gestapo.
"There will be no law enforcement sheriffs or deputy sheriffs asking you for your vaccination record. It's ridiculous, "said Day. "However, if you are in violation of this statement, your case will be referred to the prosecutor … The parents will be held responsible if they find themselves in violation of the state of emergency, and the center of this effort is on the parents of these children. We urge them once again, now with the authority of the law, to vaccinate their children. "
The current record of the outbreak, said Day, is the largest recorded in a specific area since at least 2000, the year when measles was officially eradicated from the country (eradication meaning that it was not possible). there is no natural and local source of disease). Epidemics have since been entirely caused by travelers reporting disease from countries where measles is still prevalent.
In the case of the Rockland epidemic, it was thought that the first carriers had caught measles during their visit to Israel. According to health officials, more than 80% of local cases have occurred in unvaccinated people. These cases have been concentrated among segments of the Orthodox Jewish community.
Religion as a whole does not discourage immunization and rabbis in the Rockland area have worked with health officials to find and convince people to vaccinate their children. However, some ultra-Orthodox rabbis subscribe to the demystified principles of the anti-vaccination movement, which contributes to a relatively low vaccination rate. Although more than 90% of children aged 18 to 35 months have had at least one (two) of their own in the country, only 72% of children under 18 have done so in Rockland County. according to Day.
While Day said that the government would spare no effort to punish parents who violate the order, the offense will be considered a class B offense, which in New York may warrant jail sentence of up to six months, in addition to or in the place of a fine of $ 500. The ban will apply to places such as restaurants, cinemas and places of worship, but not to outdoor public spaces such as parks. Day added that they are also preparing legislation to better protect the public proactively in future outbreaks.
Rockland is not the only place in New York to fight measles either; According to the New York City Department of Health, a similar epidemic, concentrated in the Jewish communities of Brooklyn and Queens, has been ongoing since last fall. More than 190 cases were reported in mid-March. Washington State is also facing its own measles outbreak, prompting Governor Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency the month before in January.
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