De Blasio Declares Public Health Emergency For BK Measles Crisis

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — Mayor Bill de Blasio has declared a public health emergency for parts of Williamsburg to try and curtail a measles outbreak that has infected nearly 300 people since it began in October.

Unvaccinated people living in certain Williamsburg zip codes will be required to get a vaccine against the disease or face a $1,000 fine, the mayor said. The declaration comes hours after the city's health department announced that it would up the stakes for yeshivas in the neighborhood that let unvaccinated children go to school, despite city orders to keep them at home.

The outbreak, which has hit the borough's Orthodox Jewish communities, has nearly doubled in the past month, mostly because it has spread among those unvaccinated or not completely vaccinated against the highly contagious disease.

“There’s no question that vaccines are safe, effective and life-saving,” de Blasio said. “I urge everyone, especially those in affected areas, to get their MMR vaccines to protect their children, families and communities.”

The City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will be able to check the vaccination records of any person that may have been in contact with infected patients under the emergency declaration, the mayor's office said. Those who have not received the MMR vaccine within 48 hours of the declaration, or do not have evidence of immunity, will be given violation and could be fined $1,000.

The order is for the 11205, 11206, 11221 and/or 11237 zip codes.

“Measles is a dangerous, potentially deadly disease that can easily be prevented with vaccine,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio. “When people choose not to get their children vaccinated, they are putting their children and others – such as pregnant women, people on chemotherapy, and the elderly – at risk of contracting measles."

Palacio added that the emergency declaration and the "Commissioner's Orders" issued against yeshivas on Monday ensures the city is using "every tool to protect New Yorkers."

Just a few weeks ago, the outbreak had infected 158 people. As of this week, the number rose to 285, 246 of which are in children under 18 years old.

At least six Brooklyn schools, three in Williamsburg and three in Bed-stuy, were found not to be following the mandates earlier this year. One of the Williamsburg yeshivas is connected to more than 40 cases in the outbreak.

Most of the measles cases so far were found in unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated people. So far nobody in Brooklyn has died from the disease, but 21 have been hospitalized and five were sent to the intensive care unit, the health department said.

The measles outbreak has also spread in Rockland County, where officials declared a state of emergency last month, and other places across the country. It has been linked to trips to Israel, which is currently suffering from a large outbreak, as well as the U.K. and the Ukraine.