Posted on Apr 10, 2019 at 6:27 amUpdated on Apr 10, 2019, 6:36 am
Bill De Blasio is determined to end the measles epidemic currently hitting New York. The city’s mayor has declared a state of health emergency, which should force residents of Williamsburg, and especially Orthodox Jews who live there, to get vaccinated. In the event of a breach, the city could impose fines of up to $ 1,000.
“This is the focus of an extremely worrying measles epidemic, which must be treated immediately,” Bill De Blasio said at a press conference on Tuesday. The measles vaccine is safe, it is effective, it has been proven to work. “
Anti-vaccine current
Like some countries in Europe, an anti-vaccine trend has recently developed across the United States. Communities question the effectiveness of vaccines, even accusing them of promoting autism in children. Religious reasons are also put forward and some states grant exemptions for personal, philosophical or religious reasons – which is not the case in New York.
The city has tried everything in recent weeks to try to contain the epidemic. She distributed leaflets in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Brooklyn in an attempt to convince parents to have their children vaccinated, worked with rabbis, and schools sometimes even refused children who weren’t vaccinated.
The prospect of vacation
Bill De Blasio confided that these measures had not had sufficient effect. He is now threatening to temporarily close the yashivas, the Jewish schools, which would accept unvaccinated children. “There has been some progress, but it was time to adopt a more muscular approach,” he added, certain to be in his right, while others doubt the possibility of the authorities to impose vaccinations.
In New York, 285 confirmed cases of measles have been reported since the fall, of which 21 have led to hospitalization, 5 in intensive care units. The states of New York and New Jersey account for more than half of the cases. Since the beginning of the year, across the country, 465 cases have been confirmed, including 78 in the last week. The upsurge is global.
Authorities are all the more worried that the Passover holiday begins next week. The epidemic could spread, with some Jewish families traveling to other states or overseas.
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