New York makes vaccination mandatory after measles resurgence

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered on Tuesday that unvaccinated residents of several areas of the city be forced to receive the measles vaccine, in an attempt to stem a resurgence of the disease, which is particularly strong in the community. Orthodox Jewess.

This is a new episode in the return of measles, observed in many Western countries and directly linked to the rise of the anti-vaccination movement.

The city has declared a state of health emergency in four areas located in the Williamsburg neighborhood, northwest of Brooklyn. All individuals “who may have been exposed to measles” must be vaccinated, under penalty of criminal prosecution and a fine of $ 1,000.

The municipality also warned that, still in these areas, day care centers for the Orthodox Jewish community as well as yeshivas, Talmudic schools, which would accept unvaccinated children would also be liable to criminal prosecution and even administrative closure.

Until now, New York State required a series of vaccinations to enter the school system but granted exemptions for religious reasons.

Since October, 285 cases of measles have been recorded in New York as the disease had virtually disappeared in the United States, with only 86 patients nationwide in 2016 (2 in New York), according to data from the Center for disease control (CDC).

Measles is a very contagious disease for which there is no cure and which can cause medical complications and even death. No death has been recorded in New York since the start of this health crisis.

The resurgence of measles in New York, as in several other regions of the world, in Europe in particular, is attributed to the movement of mistrust towards vaccination, largely fed by the internet in general and on social networks in particular.

The “anti-vax” often evoke a supposed relationship between the vaccine against measles and diseases or even with an increased risk of autism, whereas all the scientific studies on the subject have shown that there was no link between both.

“A more muscular approach”

Neither religious texts nor Jewish authorities in New York advise against vaccination.

The mayor said he was in contact with representatives of the Jewish community, although none were present at the press conference.

Bill de Blasio recalled that the city had carried out, for several months, a vast communication campaign to encourage vaccination. Materials were distributed, information posted online, and tens of thousands of automated phone calls were made in Yiddish to members of the Orthodox community.

“It was time to move to a more muscular approach,” said the councilor, specifying that the vaccine would be available free of charge for families who cannot afford to pay.

The measles vaccine is most often given in the form of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), called MMR in the United States.

“This situation can be resolved quickly,” assured the mayor. “We can put an end to it. ”

“When you choose not to have your child vaccinated, keep in mind that you also make this choice for the people who revolve around him”, pleaded Herminia Palacio, deputy mayor in charge of health and doctor.

She also said that her services had received information according to which “measles parties” were being held, to which parents brought their children to be exposed to measles.

Authorities in Rockland, a county north of New York that has become another major source of measles, decided on March 26 to ban schools and public places for unvaccinated minors.

But a judge suspended the ban on Friday, after being seized by a dozen parents at a county school.

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