17 cases of measles reported in New York

With 17 cases of measles confirmed in New York last week, health officials remind local communities of the importance of proper vaccination.

Measles was diagnosed in six children in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood, as well as 11 in Rockland County, about 30 miles north of the city, NBC4 reported. In both areas, epidemics appear to have been triggered by children returning from Israel, where the highly contagious disease is currently widespread.

The children of Williamsburg are part of the Orthodox Jewish community, where five more cases of measles were reported earlier this month. They are between 11 months and 4 years old, and five of them are not vaccinated. Of these five, four had been voluntarily withdrawn from vaccination and one was too young. The sixth child had begun to be vaccinated against measles, but the single dose was not yet sufficient to protect against the disease.

One of the children had to be hospitalized for pneumonia and another developed an ear infection.

Due to the local outbreak, the New York City Department of Health will meet with rabbis and elected officials in Williamsburg on Thursday to discuss immunization.

"Although measles can be prevented, too many families choose not to immunize or delay immunization, putting their children and other children at risk," Acting Commissioner Soyo told NBC4 .

The measles eruption

CDC / Heinz F. Eichenwald, MD

Although the Centers for Disease Control have stated that there is no scientific link between vaccines and autism, some people and communities in the United States still refuse to vaccinate their children.

A member of the Williamsburg Orthodox community told NBC4 that the debate was going on in the neighborhood.

"We have this debate every day in our synagogues and in our community," Volvi Einhorn said. "And most people understand it, and foolhardy people who do not understand it have a responsibility and should act."

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The majority of measles outbreaks occur in areas where people are not vaccinated, says the CDC. They usually begin in the United States after a traveler returns from areas of the world where the disease is still prevalent, such as Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa, and spread to unvaccinated communities from the country.

"Measles is a virus that is transmitted in the air when you are next to someone who has the measles virus and who coughs or sneezes," said Dr. Jennifer Lighter Fisher, a specialist. infectious diseases in children at NYU Langone Medical Center. "The disease can also live on surfaces for about two hours."

The CDC said in September that the current number of measles cases was comparable to previous years. By September 8, he had confirmed 137 cases of the disease in 24 states and in Washington, DC.