Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Families Come Together For Passover, Public Health Officials Anxious Holiday Could Exacerbate Measles Outbreak
The Wall Street Journal: Measles Outbreak Upends Passover Traditions
The growing measles outbreak is colliding with Passover, one of the holiest Jewish celebrations and a time when families travel to be together. New York City health officials have warned that the holiday, with its large get-togethers and long, ritual meals, risks spreading measles, which is highly contagious and easily transmitted. City officials expect the number of measles cases to increase over the next several weeks partly because of gatherings over the holidays, said Herminia Palacio, the city’s deputy mayor for health and human services. The outbreak is worst in ultra-Orthodox communities in Brooklyn, N.Y., and nearby Rockland County. (West and King, 4/17)
The Hill: New York Extends Mandatory Measles Vaccination Order
The New York City Board of Health unanimously voted Wednesday to extend to extend a public health emergency in parts of Brooklyn as the borough continues to struggle with a measles outbreak. The mandate, which was first implemented last week, orders that residents in the neighborhood of Williamsburg aged 6 months or older get vaccinated for the disease or face a fine of $1,000. The order was extended until officials declare the outbreak is over. (Axelrod, 4/17)
The Washington Post: Measles Outbreak: Israeli Flight Attendant In Serious Condition After Contracting Virus
Public health officials in Israel are urging crew members on national air carriers to ensure they have received the proper dosage of the measles vaccine after a flight attendant contracted the deadly disease, possibly in New York. Officials with Israel’s Ministry of Health said a 43-year-old flight attendant for the national airline El Al had flown back to Israel late last month from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. New York state has been a battleground for concurrent measles outbreaks in Brooklyn and Queens, as well as in Rockland County. However, because of the woman’s “impaired mental status,” officials said it could not be confirmed where or when she contracted the virus. (Bever, 4/17)
The Washington Post: Third Measles Patient Confirmed In Maryland, Unrelated To Earlier ‘Household Contact’ Cases
Maryland health officials confirmed Wednesday that a third person contracted measles in the Pikesville area of the state this month. The latest person to contract the disease is not connected to the previous two patients who had “household contact” with their cases, health officials said. Due to health privacy laws, officials did not release any information about the patients. (Williams, 4/17)
The Hill: Google Warns Employees About Measles Case At Headquarters: Report
Google reportedly warned its employees this week that at least one person has been diagnosed with measles at the company's Silicon Valley headquarters. The measles diagnosis, first reported by BuzzFeed News, comes as Google's search engine and its video streaming platform, YouTube, face scrutiny for promoting anti-vaccine content. The highly contagious disease has seen a resurgence in the U.S. this year after it was eliminated almost 20 years ago. (Birnbaum, 4/17)
Arizona Republic: Arizona's School Vaccination Rates Falling, And Worse Than They Appear
For a third year in a row, the share of Arizona parents exempting their children from school-required vaccines has increased, but the situation is even more perilous as schools have allowed unvaccinated students to attend even without the required exemption. An Arizona Republic analysis of the state's immunization data, which was released Friday, found more than half of the state's kindergartens have immunization rates below the level required to fend off an outbreak. (Innes, Philip and Price, 4/17)
