NYC Measles Outbreak Is Over, De Blasio Says

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — The city's largest measles outbreak in three decades, which infected hundreds of people in Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish communities, has officially ended, the mayor announced Tuesday.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot lifted a public health emergency that had been in place since April for parts of Brooklyn, saying that more than 80 days had passed since the last New Yorkers who have the measles were infectious. In total, 654 people in New York City came down with the disease since the outbreak started in October, largely in four zip codes in Williamsburg.

The end of the public health emergency means that the threat of fines for those that don't get vaccinated and orders not to let unvaccinated children return to school —which nearly a dozen Brooklyn schools didn't follow — are also lifted.

But, the mayor said, that doesn't mean the risk of the disease is completely gone.

“As we head back to school this week, we just remain vigilant," de Blasio said. "To keep our children and communities safe, I urge all New Yorkers to get vaccinated. It’s the best defense we have.”

The city still has a warning in place for the disease, de Blasio said, largely because there are large outbreaks of measles in Europe, Israel, South America, Africa and Asia. The first person that was infected in New York had traveled to Israel.

The measles outbreak also spread throughout the United States and has so far reached 31 states, although 75 percent of those cases have been in New York, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Since that first case in October, the city has spent more than $6 million and used 500 staff to try and control the outbreak.

They used robocalls, local ads, letters and texts to residents and community events to counter anti-vaccination propaganda, which officials said was the main reason the disease continued to spread, especially in Orthodox Jewish communities.

Of the 654 people infected, 72 percent were from four zip codes in Williamsburg where the vaccination orders and school mandates were in place. The outbreak hospitalized 52 people and had 16 people admitted to intensive care.

“This success was made possible by aggressive action on the part of DOHMH, as well as bold leadership in the Jewish communities most directly impacted by this outbreak," said Council Member Mark Levine, chair of the Health Committee. "But our fight against the science denial fueling the anti-vaccine movement continues. Our message is clear: we implore New Yorkers to make sure they and their children are up-to-date on vaccinations.”

City health officials said that New Yorkers should still check with their medical provider prior to international travel to make sure they are immune or vaccinated before traveling. If New Yorkers think they have been exposed to measles, they should call their doctor before coming in for a visit to prevent exposing other patients.

Since the outbreak started, the state passed a law that ended non-medical exemptions for required vaccinations, meaning that even though the exclusion requirements are lifted in Brooklyn, students still need to get the vaccine unless they have a medical reason.