New York City’s Health Department today announced the measles outbreak in the Orthodox Jewish community is now at 121 cases since the outbreak began in October. The vast majority of cases are children under 18 years of age (108 cases), and 13 cases are adults. There are no deaths associated with this outbreak, although there have been complications, including eight hospitalizations and one child who was in the intensive care unit.
Of the 121 cases, 31 are newly identified, including five diagnosed in the past week and 26 who were identified retrospectively (that is, they recently had the illness and were identified after symptoms subsided).
Most cases have been reported from zip codes in Borough Park and Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Four cases, including the initial case of measles, acquired measles on a visit to Israel, where a large outbreak of the disease is occurring. One case was acquired from the U.K. and one from Ukraine.
Measles is a highly contagious disease and can cause pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and death. Measles is preventable with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Since the outbreak began, the Department has worked with elected officials, community organizations, and religious leaders to conducted extensive outreach in the community to educate residents in these zip codes about the risks associated with measles and the importance of vaccination. This effort has resulted in over 7,000 people receiving the MMR vaccine.
In December, the Department announced mandatory exclusions for students in selected zip codes in Borough Park and Williamsburg that have not received the required number of doses of MMR vaccine. Twenty-one of the 31 additional cases are connected to a single yeshiva in Williamsburg. This yeshiva went out of compliance with the Health Department’s exclusion order in mid-January, allowing an unvaccinated student who had measles but had not yet begun presenting symptoms.
Last week, the Department expanded vaccination recommendations for providers serving the Orthodox Jewish community to include an early, extra dose of the MMR vaccine for children between the ages of 6 months to 11 months who live in Williamsburg and Borough Park.
VIDEO: Israeli Measles Outbreak Spreads to New York Region
“This is a clear issue of pikuach nefesh,” said Councilman Kalman Yeger who represents Borough Park, Midwood, Bensonhurst. “Once again, it is imperative that parents immediately vaccinate their children. It is just as imperative that our parents and yeshivas take all the necessary precautions to keep unvaccinated children away from harm.”
“Vaccinating children is one of the most basic ways a parent can protect their child’s health,” said Councilman Chaim Deutsch who represents Brighton Beach, Marine Park, Midwood.
“These new cases of measles out breaking within the Orthodox community are worrisome, particularly for parents of children too young to be fully vaccinated against the measles. I urge parents who are traveling with young children to follow Health Department recommendations and vaccinate their kids. I thank the Health Department for their efforts to do outreach and spread the word to ensure New York families are protected.”
“It says in the Torah “V’nishmartem Meod L’nafshoseichem”, that a person must guard their health,” said Rabbi David Niederman, President of the UJO of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn. “It is abundantly clear on the necessity for parents to ensure that their children are vaccinated, especially from Measles.”
Measles Background
· Measles is transmitted by airborne particles, droplets, and direct contact with the respiratory secretions of an infected person.
· Symptoms usually appear 10 to 12 days after exposure to measles, and in some cases, symptoms can start as early as seven days or as late as 21 days following exposure.
· Early symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.
· Rash and fever are the typical symptoms of measles and usually occur four days following the early symptoms. The rash usually starts on the face and proceeds down the body. The rash lasts several days.
· Infected individuals are contagious from four days before rash onset through the fourth day after rash appearance.
· Anyone can contract the measles but the virus is more severe in infants, pregnant women, and people whose immune systems are weak. Complications include: Diarrhea, Ear infections, Pneumonia (swelling of the lungs), Encephalitis (swelling of the brain), Premature birth or low birth-weight, Miscarriage and Death.
Precautions New Yorkers Should Take
· You can prevent measles by making sure you and your family have received MMR vaccine. If you or your child need to be vaccinated, call your healthcare provider immediately. 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 outbreaks of measles in Europe and Israel, as well as in countries in South America, Africa, and Asia. Make sure you have been vaccinated with MMR vaccine before traveling to Europe or Israel. Infants ages 6 to 11 months should also be vaccinated prior to international travel.
· If you think you were exposed to measles or if you have symptoms of measles, contact your health care provider before seeking care to prevent exposure to other patients.
If vaccines are safe, why does the government have a special fund for payouts to those injured and killed by vaccines? Already over $4.2 billion has been paid to the victims of vaccines, and that’s with only 1% of cases being reported. Amazon started censoring anti vaxx videos last week at the urging of CNN and the Democrats. That should tell you all you need to know. Anti-vaccine movies that were previously available free for Prime subscribers, like “We Don’t Vaccinate!”, “Shoot ‘Em Up: The Truth About Vaccines”, and the famous “VAXXED: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe”, are now “currently unavailable”,… Read more »
The rebbe is writing about antibiotic on a continues DAILY basis, but NOT once in a long time when it’s Really Needed.
Antibiotics .. You conclude your letter writing about your son sheyichye, that he has received and continues to receive antibiotics on a daily basis: You are surely aware that in the United States the enthusiasm and ardor to give antibiotics has dampened, and doctors are beginning to have serious reservations about their excessive use. You understand, of course, that this is only a general observation, and is meant merely to encourage and point out to you that it would be worthwhile to speak to the doctor who is caring for your son that he carefully consider and rethink whether it… Read more »
I had a classmate, his grandmother gave birth to 20 kids in Poland. only 2 survived including his mom. without war, with a prosperous life. and it was sad but routine. until the Soviets “occupants” with vaccinations arrived and the Americans invented penicillin.
so everyone who is against vaccines and antibiotics is just your personal enemy. who wants to kill 90% of your children. treat them accordingly
Why is it, that the medical doctors which believe in vaccination, are not afraid to voice their opinion in public, and are not afraid to write an sign their name on their opinion ; and the medical doctors which are against vaccination, are afraid to voice their opinion in public, and are afraid to write and sign their name on their opinion?! Aren’t they very proud of themselves that they are voicing the truth?! And if they believe that it’s Pikuach Nefesh, why aren’t they ready to go on Mesiras Nefesh To save Yidishe Kinder and Humanity in General?! Please… Read more »
“Scientific data is not just lying around for us to look at…. We summon forth the kind of data that reinforces our paradigm.” Meaning: our conceptual framework allows us to elicit the data that reinforces our “map” or paradigm.
We need to remain free to make free educated decisions that each one of us concludes is best for our own families.
Spoiler alert: Bet you didn’t know that the live polio vaccine caused most cases of polio. That’s why they finally switched to the non live vaccine. Ever met a severly autistic child. Its no walk in the park raising a severely autistic child. Wouldn’t wish it on anyone. If measels is so deadly where is the body count r”l with all the recent outbreaks? B”H there have been no deaths from measels in the past 15 years, however, there have been many deaths and complications from the vaccine r”l… #21. I’d love to know what your qualifications are that you… Read more »
Name calling and intimidating anti vacxers will not convince them to poison their children lol. You are free to believe vaccines are safe, just as they believe that vaccines are dangerous. Do you actually expect them to harm their child in order to protect yours? Seriously? Our job as parents is to do what’s best for our children and going against our beliefs and adopting someone else’s to hurt our own child to protect yours is ridiculous and absurd.. You want to vaccinate, go ahead, stop trying to force me to do the same. Chances are if you vaccinatedב your… Read more »
It’s in the gemara, the Rebbe mentioned it many times. But people want to come up with their own dumbed down new agey version of judaism where feelings are more important than sources and facts and unfortunately…many people are suffering because of those people. Put away the jenny mccarthy and yoga gurus and start thinking…….
Even if we humour anti-vaccine activists for a second and believe that vaccines cause autism in 0.01% of children they’re administered to (spoiler alert: vaccines don’t cause autism), it is still deeply disturbing that these people are more afraid of people with disabilities than they are of fatal, painful and endemic diseases. If cognitive disabilities are more threatening to you than children never getting to grow up because polio makes a comeback, you have priorities to re-evaluate. Shame on you, for brainwashing mothers and families into believing that autism is the absolute worst thing that can happen to a person.
This is down from 630,000 deaths in 1990. As of 2013, measles remains the leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths in the world. In developed countries, death occurs in one to two cases out of every 1,000 (0.1–0.2%).
It is estimated 3 to 4 million people in the United States were infected each year. Also each year, among reported cases, an estimated 400 to 500 people died, 48,000 were hospitalized, and 1,000 suffered encephalitis (swelling of the brain) from measles
Vaccines are not the only reason for autism , this family can have autism genetic, so you statement is completely unlogical…with vaccines many professionals would say that the other kids would have a high risk of also being autistic…chas veshalom
I trust him more than I trust YOU, the medical world tries to take lincense from people like him who are not afraid of saying the truth even though they are bringing a loss to the vaccine manufacturers who only care about their money and are injecting 250 mmg of aluminum on Newborns who can’t catch hepatitis b from anyone, if the mother is negative on the test, do your homework and research yourself hoping to know the truth about about our kids health!!!!
True that those that invent vaccines are not necessarily G-d fearing people. Heard interview from one scientist who invented vaccines. An atheist, who had no problem experimenting on the mentally impaired, orphans, children of parents incarcerated in jail etc…as he considers this population to be less important to society and worthy of being expreminted on for the good of the rest of society. Just like Hitler yemach shemom…
I’m extremely knowledgeable. School Administrator. Many children and grandchildren. If your kids had a reaction, get a medical exemption. Meanwhile. Keep them at home. Read the Rebbes letter. Stop believing the fakes on the internet.
The worst epidemic going around now is the sinas chinom amongst yidden over this issue… Do they make a vaccine for that?? To summarize, there is risk on both sides, so do your research, decide what is best for your family, take necessary precautions (living a healthy lifestyle etc or vaccinating if you choose) and then pray and have trust in Hashem that you picked the right side to be on and let others do the same…
Don’t take any medicine, don’t exercise, don’t do anything as Hashem decides.”
1. A Dutch curse is “Krijg de mazelen,” get the measles. Think about it for a second: would anyone have thought up such a curse if measles really was as mild a disease as some commenters here think? No, it’s because it’s _deadly_, and so it’s the equivalent of telling someone to drop dead. 2. Seems that once something dangerous has been defeated, and enough time has passed for the danger to be forgotten from public consciousness, then you have people trying to revive it and to claim the dangers are nonexistent or overblown. You see it with the appeal… Read more »
Anyone recall what happened during the 1991 gulf war in Israel, when they handed out all those gas masks…..
B’H no one was killed (directly from any missiles) and afterwards they came out that the masks would not have been effective anyway!!!!! Who profited from their production???
Probably those that were backing the scaremongering.
Society dictates that (for now) we still have freedom of choice and it is not illegal, not to vaccinate.
What’s good today is bad tomorrow and VV but everyone has to make an educated choice.
You typed this on a computer (or a phone) that was created by scientists and businessmen who either completely deny G-d’s existence or have absolutely no fear of Heaven. Yet I don’t see you giving that up, your screed about “rampant iPhone/internet use in our communities” notwithstanding. Hashem decides who will live and who will die. So I guess this means that you don’t eat either, because that would be relying on something other than Hashem? Well, the same Hashem who gives us food also gives us doctors and medicines, and gives permission – verapo yerapei – for them to… Read more »
Hashem decides who gets measles, the flu and any other disease with or without a ‘vaccine.’ The solution to an outbreak of measles is Ketores and TESHUVA for the rampant iPhone/ internet use in our communities! We are also oppressing the poor and renting and selling properties to goyim in Frum Jewish neighborhoods; And then people have the audacity to cry about anti-Semitic attacks!?!? Are you serious? Please look up Rabbi Riminov’s prophecy from the Spring of 2015. Vaccines are created by scientists and businessmen who either completely deny G-d’s existence or have absolutely no fear of Heaven. Ever heard… Read more »
The MMR vaccine is 97% effective, so a vaccinated person still has a 3% chance of being infected, if he is exposed to a carrier. The yeshiva illegally admitted an unvaccinated student who, unknown to them, had the disease, and out of the hundreds of vaccinated students he and those he infected came into close contact with multiple times, 20 got infected.
There may also have been students who were legitimately not vaccinated because of an allergy or compromised immune system, but those should have been kept home during this epidemic, or sent somewhere where there’s no danger.
They simply deny that such cases exist. Look at their lies about the Amish, claiming that they don’t vaccinate and have no autism.
Not one, ever, in the entire history of the vaccine. Anyone who tells you there was even one, let alone 108, is lying. VAERS is just whatever people choose to report. Many reports are not even filed by doctors but by lawyers preparing to sue. A child gets vaccinated, and then dies two weeks later of something completely unrelated, but if if the parents’ lawyer decides to report it it goes on the list. Someone once reported that a vaccine turned him into the Incredible Hulk, just to see whether it would be accepted, and it was.
Who only barely escaped from losing his license. And no, the story he tells about it now is not the truth.
Stop playing the Autism card to avoid vaccinating!
How do you justify it when there are people who, for whatever reason, did not vaccinate their children and there is a child in the family with Autism.
Go figure, but while you do that, live and let live!
Not everything they say and want us to do is for our benefit. I’m not saying not to vaccinate but there are a number of curveballs coming to destroy our orthodox New York communities. The flaming liberals are planning to force yeshivas into teaching similar subjects thought the n public schools. Subjects like evolution and same gender studies. I heard from inside the grapevine that they are willing to overlook the normal studies like math and English in exchange for same gender studies. I spoke to a friend working for certain politicians who revealed to me the inner discussions among… Read more »
What a disaster, I Can’t understand what’s going on here, there are licensed Medical Doctors Hiding out there and going against the rules and regulations of medicine in the U.S.A. And most of the international world, and they should be exposed once at all, and have the board of medicine revoke there MD License and if that’s not enough to Put them behind bars and Have Them Stop once at all from manipulating the public to commit suicide and not giving the vaccinations to there children! enough is enough!
If your children are vaccinated, what are you worried about? Seems like the vaccinated ones worry far more then the non vaccinated ones. Is that because they know that vaccines are not effective (or safe) in many cases (in recent outbreak of whooping cough all were fully vaccinted and in most other outbreaks too most are vaccinated) or that some outbreaks were caused by VACCINATED people either through shedding of the vaccine or because they had a milder case of the disease due to being vaccinated and therefore they didnt know they had the disease and unknowingly spread it to… Read more »
There seems to be an inconsistency in this article. The article states that 21 cases are from a single Yeshiva that allowed one unvaccinated child who had the Measles. I can only come up with 3 possible ways to understand this. 1. 21 children in that school caught the illness but only 1 was not vaccinated. 2. All 21 children were unvaccinated, but the health officials determined that it started from one unvaccinated child. If so, either somehow the school was only out of compliance with this one and not the other 20 children. Or it was a typo and… Read more »
And if my kid chas veshalom suffers a serious side effect from vaccines, do you go to jail for bulllying and vilifying me and others to do what you in your limited knowledge think is best for everyone.There is a much slimmer chance of suffering serious complications and death from measels then from suffering side affects from vaccinations r”l. Please do some research before you villify others.
About the same slim chance as being hospitalized or dying from measels?? CDC reports no death from measels in 15 years, VEARS reports 108 deaths from MMR vaccines in that same period of time, So what’s the bigger risk? If its such a dangerous disease where’s the body count r”l? Most people recover just fine b”H and have lifelong immunity. If you’re worried about chilul Hashem perhaps don’t wear your hat, yarmulke, kapote etc or perform a bris on your child as that can cause a chilul Hashem too. Goyim think we’re a little crazy the way we dress etc,… Read more »
That’s the problem – people are entrusting their’s and their children’s medical care to physicians of flesh and blood and TOTALLY FORGETTING that we MUST entrust our medical care to HASHEM!!! Doctors jobs are to GUIDE US, NOT tell us what to do!!! Once they start telling all what to do instead of GUIDING, then they start losing the trust of their patients and they will eventually, Chas V’Shalom come to a Very unhappy downfall!!! ONLY those Doctors who are TRULY honest with their patients will have GOOD coming their way!!! We are right now experiencing the story of Purim… Read more »
First of all not necessarily are all antivaxxers vaccinated themselves and if they are, they were vaccinated with far fewer vaccines in those days…The vaccine schedule has grown exponentially since you were vaccinated as a kid, upto 72 now… as has autism and many other health conditions that kids suffer from these days r”l.
Realty check is this outbreak stated not here but was spred to kids not vaccinated and or to those too young to be. All you naysayers need to start reading the blogs. It is not a pretty picture that the spotlight is us on the Jews but it appears the majority of the cases are from our communities so again not only are we ALL affected by the anti vaxcers personal ‘ choice’ Gd forbid if your kid infects mine, but this is becoming an issue of hillel Hashem. I hope besides the conspiracy theories you are all asking tour… Read more »
Let everyone do as they see fit for the well being of their children and not interfere with the way everyone raises their children!!! Measles is NOT the real disease, the REAL disease is the Yetzer Hara trying to tear Klal Yisroel apart and we CANNOT allow that to happen! Let ONLY the Yetzer TOV win!!!
Where’s the SHPY?!? We need the SHPY’S HELP, NOW!!!!!! Moshiach Times!!! Anyone familiar? 😉 We need Moshiach now, yes Vaccines/no Vaccines will not bring Moshiach, ONLY Ahavas Chinum will bring Moshiach!!!!!!!!
Thanks #4..When every school in Crown Heights refuses to take children who aren’t vaccinated and throws out those in school, then things will change. Anti vaxxers see the Rebbes letter, read all information from accredited experts and still refuse to keep their kids safe and those around them. Funny, all of them are vaccinated themselves
While today it has become ‘popular’ to join the anti vaxers, and I do understand when one looks into the what exactly in the shots, it is normal to be concerned, but overall, and hands down the benefits outweigh the negative consequences that we do hear about every so often. Bottom line is if you in your great wisdom come to the conclusion that you will not vaccinate, the problem is as these 121 cases illustrate, you will not keep your vaccinated kids home 214/7, 365. Therefore if and when YOUR child breaks out, YOUR child can infect MY child… Read more »
pls keep sick at home and dont go to public places.
I feel our HealthDepartment is over reacting and want to control and sell , instead of preventing
https://youtu.be/QdB3Loxq8Go watch until the end before judging!!!! it is important for people to be aware of MMR risks because the doctors won’t mention them, they raise their eyebrows if you ask anything about risk of vaccination, and many times disrespect you( occured to me) I’m not trying to protect specific movements, just bringing some awareness. We, here in America, with a very low risk of Measles and especially measle’s death, should think twice before injecting such toxins in our kids rasing the risk of authism.he is not talking about not giving MMR at all just waiting untill the age of… Read more »
If you are a parent of children and choose not to vaccinate your children, I hope you are brought up on charges of child abuse and jailed, to set an example for all others. Yes, vaccines do have very rare side effects. But so does using a car seat too. What happens if your car lands in a river and the seat traps the kid inside? Yet, most nonvaxxers use car seats and assume the risk of car in river is very small. Same with vaccines. The greater good way way over powers the potential very rare risk. But for… Read more »
Driving a car is astronomically more dangerous than any vaccine. Do yourself and everyone a favour and take steps to protect yourself and others. This not vaccinating because of this slim chance of an adverse effect is causing a real chilul Hashem.
My kids are vaccinated, however, I’m just curious- if no children or those affected have BH died, only 1 went to icu, what is the publicity all about? It doesn’t sound any different then the chicken pox, which I and all my siblings and classmates got in the early 90s…
There are serious adverse effects of vaccinations, even being transferred generationally. Auto-immunity is a serious issue among others.