Flushing School Closed For Flouting Measles Vaccination Rules

FLUSHING, QUEENS — The city closed a Flushing school on Monday for allowing unvaccinated kids to come to class amid a measles outbreak that has infected hundreds in New York City.

The health department has shuttered the Yeshiva of Central Queens for violating a May 9 order prohibiting unvaccinated students from going to school, which health officials issued after a report of a measles exposure at the school.

The school, located at 147-37 70th Rd., won't be able to reopen without the health department's approval. Administrators did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The health department has now closed nine schools in an effort to curb a measles outbreak that has seen 498 cases citywide since it began last October. The other eight schools have since reopened, health officials said.

The outbreak has hit Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish communities particularly hard. The vast majority of the cases have been in Williamsburg, prompting Mayor Bill de Blasio to declare a public health emergency requiring some residents to get the the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine or face a fine.

"In order to prevent outbreaks in new areas of the city, we need parents to get their children vaccinated and schools to exclude children who are not up to date with the measles vaccine," Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbo said.