NEW YORK ORDERS MANDATORY MEASLES VACCINATIONS

April 10, 2019 in News by RBN Staff

SOURCE: REUTERS

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency in parts of Brooklyn on Tuesday in response to a measles outbreak, requiring unvaccinated people living in the affected areas to get the vaccine or face fines.

The city’s largest measles outbreak since 1991 has mainly been confined to the Orthodox Jewish community in the borough of Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, with 285 cases confirmed since October, de Blasio said at a news conference. That compares to only two reported cases in 2017.

“This is the epicenter of a measles outbreak that is very, very troubling and must be dealt with immediately,” de Blasio said. He was joined by health officials who decried what they called “misinformation” spread by opponents of vaccination.