The outbreak of measles in Brooklyn reaches 121 cases

WILLIAMSBURG – The number of measles cases is now 121, 21 cases being related to a single unvaccinated Yeshiva student who attended school before presenting the symptoms, despite the mandate of the Department of Education.

In December, when the number of measles cases was 42, the parents of the Yeshiva schools were prevented from sending unvaccinated students to school. A school in Williamsburg did not respect the mandate of the Ministry of Education and continued to allow unvaccinated students to attend school. One unvaccinated student, who had not yet had symptoms, subsequently infected other unvaccinated students in the Williamsburg Yeshiva.

The outbreak was more prevalent in specific postal codes in Williamsburg and Borough Park. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) attributed the spread of the disease to unvaccinated students coming into contact with infected persons.

The Ministry of Health made the announcement Thursday, reporting 31 "newly identified" cases with five cases over the past week. Twenty-six cases were identified late–after the disappearance of symptoms. Of the 121 cases, of which 108 were children aged 18 and under, 13 were adults diagnosed since October.

Last week, Bklyner announced that the number of cases had climbed to 90. At the time, the Ministry of Health had announced an extension of vaccination recommendations to health care providers in Jewish communities Orthodox to quickly provide an additional dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR vaccine) to children aged 6 to 11 months.

Since the epidemic, more than 7,000 people from the Orthodox community have received the MMR vaccine.

The first cases were reported in October after several children contracted the disease while traveling to Israel, where officials are facing a measles epidemic. One case was acquired from the United Kingdom and another from Ukraine.

Officials warned that measles is a highly contagious disease, transmitted through air, droplets and direct contact. Young children and non-immune pregnant women are the most vulnerable. Symptoms include fever, rash on the face and down into the body, coughing, runny nose, red eyes, diarrhea, and ear infection, according to the Center for Disease Control .

Advice:

• You can prevent measles by making sure that you and your family have received the MMR vaccine. If you or your child needs to be vaccinated, call your health care provider. If you need help finding an MMR vaccine, call 311 to access a list of facilities that can provide MMR at low or no cost.
• There are large measles epidemics in Europe and Israel. Make sure you have been vaccinated with the MMR vaccine before traveling to Europe or Israel. Infants aged 6 to 11 months should also be vaccinated prior to their international journey.
• If you think you have been exposed to measles, contact your health care provider before seeking care, in order to avoid exposure to other patients.

This article has been updated to clarify that a Williamsburg school had disobeyed the mandate of the Ministry of Education and continued to allow more than one unvaccinated student to attend school when attending school. a measles outbreak in the region.

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