Measles Outbreak Throughout New York State: What Physicians Can Do
Posted: 05/03/2019
Category: Public Health
Recent outbreaks of measles in Rockland County, Orange County, and New York City have contributed to the largest measles outbreak in New York State since the elimination of measles in the US in the year 2000. Over 390 cases of measles outbreaks have been reported in Brooklyn and Queens alone.
Multiple studies have shown how impactful a state’s nonmedical vaccination exemption policies can be to the risk of an outbreak of a contagious disease. One recent publication in the journal of Academic Pediatrics found that “a state with easy nonmedical vaccine exemption policies is 140% and 190% more likely to experience a measles outbreak compared with states with medium or difficult policies, respectively.” The same report found that the magnitude of outbreaks decrease in half when there are fewer exemptions.
NYACP is supporting legislative efforts to address the measles outbreak, including support for NYS Bill S.2994 (Hoylman)/A.2371 (Dinowitz), which would eliminate non-medical vaccination exemptions for children. In addition, The Chapter has made available resources with the help of our members to help communicate with patients and physicians the importance of vaccinations. Here are a few:
- Measles Notice from the Department of Health
- Vaccination is Pikuach Nefesh
- Measles Guidance for Shuls
From the DOH:
To read more, please view the Measles Page here.
*A special thanks to Rabbi Aaron Glatt, MD, FACP, for developing and producing this information to share.
