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“What about the people who clean and sweep in the school?” argued Kamenetzky. “They are mostly Mexican and are unvaccinated. If there was a problem, the children would already have gotten sick.” “I see vaccinations as the problem. It’s a hoax. Even the Salk vaccine [against polio] is a hoax. It is just big business.” |
Worst measles outbreak in decades sweeps New York as cases surge in Oregon, Washington and abroad
- At least 160 people in New York have been infected with measles
- One in 20 children that get the highly-contagious virus develop pneumonia, and one to two per 1,000 die
- The disease can only be prevented by vaccination
- Over 90 percent of babies in the US are vaccinated
- But people of certain religions and ideologies sometimes refuse to get their children vacccinated
- In New York, the infection is spreading primarily among Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn and Rockland County
Cases
of measles have reached a 20-year high in several New York counties
amid an outbreak that threatens to reach epidemic proportions, experts
say.
At least 160 people have been
infected by the virus, which typically strikes children, in New York and
unusual outbreaks have been reported internationally.
The
worst affected areas so far are Rockland County - where 105 cases have
been reported - and an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, where
at least 55 have been infected.
Meanwhile, 25 other states have reported outbreaks, with numbers climbing particularly high in Oregon and Washington.
A body-covering red splotchy rash
is the tell-tale sign of the measles infection that has struck at least
160 people in New York - and outbreaks have been reported in Oregon and
Washington
Measles is only
preventable by vaccination, and health officials in the worst affected
areas are scrambling to speed up shots schedules in the most blighted
areas.
Among other countries, Israel has seen a recent resurgence in measles.
In October, the sudden uptick in cases in New York City was linked to an unvaccinated traveler from Israel.
Though
the details of the Oregon and Washington cases have not been released
as publicly, the Washington outbreak was traced to an unvaccinated child
who had traveled to the state from another country.
The measles vaccine was introduced in the US in 1963 and, ever since, the virus has been a minimal threat.
But
among those not inoculated against it, measles is among the most
contagious diseases in the world and can be life-threatening.
Measles often begins with a fever, sore throat, runny nose and cough but there are a few tell-tale signs of the infection.
Eventually, a rash
composed of large red blotches materializes, first on the face,
spreading until it eventually covers the whole body.
As the infection worsens, complications can include diarrhea, lung infections and brain swelling.
Some one in 20 children that contract measles develop pneumonia, making it highly dangerous to young kids.
WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS OF MEASLES?
Fortunately, the vast majority of children in the US and developed nations are protected against the virus by the combined measles mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR).
Babies are supposed to
get the shot in two doses. The first dose should be given between the
first 12 and 15 months of life, and the second between ages four and
six, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC)
recommendations.
As of May 2017, the
CDC estimated that about 91 percent of children under three had received
at least their first dose of the MMR shot.
In recent years, however, there has been a growing - though largely unfounded - movement against vaccinations.
Some populations have a longer history of reticence against shots.
Some
members of both the Amish and Orthodox Jewish faiths believe that their
religions' edicts, histories or some combinations of the two prohibit
them from getting their children vaccinated.
One
of the arguments made by Orthodox Jews is that if a dangerous disease
becomes rare - thanks to high rates of vaccination among the general
population, typically - then getting shots for their children may do
more 'harm' than good and thus be against Orthodox Jewish law.
But
in 2013, for example, a measles outbreak struck the neighborhood of
Williamsburg in New York City's Brooklyn borough. The 58 infections were
contained entirely in the Orthodox Jewish community there.
The outbreaks that have emerged in recent months have followed a similar pattern.
One
unvaccinated child from Brooklyn reportedly traveled to Israel,
contracted the virus, then returned to its home in New York and spread
the infection to other unvaccinated kids in the community.
In
Oregon, there has been a moderate influx of Orthodox Jews (particularly
in Portland). However, it is less clear what is fueling the outbreaks
there or in Washington.
There has been
some increase in the number of children not getting vaccines, but the
majority of the population in both states is still protected.
Rockland
County, New York, is home to a number of all-Orthodox villages and the
population of Orthodox Jews has been growing rapidly throughout the area
in recent years.
John Lyon,
spokesperson for the Rockland County Health Department said that the
outbreak has struck unvaccinated communities there.
'We're
making some progress, but this is one of the most contagious diseases
out there in unvaccinated populations,' he told Daily Mail Online.
So
far, the county has given over 11,000 vaccinations to children there,
but is still struggling to contain the virus's rapid spread.