Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Millions Of Dollars, Thousands Of Hours Of Man Power, And Lots Of Public Outrage: NYC's Measles Outbreak Is Officially Over
The Washington Post: New York City Declares End To Largest Measles Outbreak In Nearly 30 Years
New York City’s largest measles outbreak in nearly 30 years is over, city officials said Tuesday. The city spent over $6 million, deployed more than 500 staff and issued a mandatory vaccination order for people living and working in four Brooklyn neighborhoods. The outbreak of a highly contagious and potentially life-threatening disease was heavily concentrated in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, where misinformation about the safety and effectiveness of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has spread, officials said. (Sun, 9/3)
The Wall Street Journal: New York City Declares Measles Outbreak Over
“Ending the measles outbreak required extensive collaboration with community organizations and Jewish leaders,” Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday. He urged people to get vaccinated, especially as school starts up again. City officials said 654 people have been diagnosed with measles since the outbreak began in October. The outbreak was concentrated in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn, including South Williamsburg and Midwood. It was the largest outbreak in the country and was part of the worst nationwide since 1992, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Honan, 9/3)
CNN: New York City Measles Outbreak Has Ended, Health Officials Say
No new cases have been reported since mid-July, the city's health department said, but officials will continue keeping track and may add cases retrospectively as they are identified. The city also could see future measles cases emerge that are not associated with this outbreak. "Ending the measles outbreak required extensive collaboration with community organizations and Jewish leaders. They helped encourage vaccinations and achieve record immunization levels in parts of Brooklyn," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a written statement on Tuesday. (Howard, 9/3)
The Hill: New York City Declares End To Measles Outbreak
More than 15,500 people have received measles vaccines since the city issued the emergency order in April. While that order was lifted Tuesday, officials are still encouraging New Yorkers to get vaccinated if they are not, warning that the threat of measles is still present. (Hellmann, 9/3)
The New York Times: Get Vaccinated Or Leave School: 26,000 N.Y. Children Face A Choice
Jacquelynn Vance-Pauls, a real-estate lawyer in upstate New York, has a 14-year-old son with autism who was recently kicked out of his private special needs school. Her 9-year-old twins and her high-school senior are also on the verge of being expelled from their public schools. The children did not do anything wrong, nor are they sick. Instead, Ms. Vance-Pauls has resisted complying with a new state law, enacted amid a measles outbreak, that ended religious exemptions to vaccinations for children in all schools and child care centers. (Otterman, 9/4)
Meanwhile, in Wisconsin —
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 50,000 Unvaccinated Children Head To Wisconsin Schools As The U.S. Copes With Worst Measles Outbreak In 27 Years
When Wisconsin children return to school this week, close to 50,000 of them will have waivers that exempt them from vaccines, leaving them vulnerable to measles at a time when the nation has experienced its largest outbreak in 27 years. Health officials across the U.S. have reported 1,215 cases of measles this year as of Aug. 22, the highest number since 1992, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Measles had been declared eliminated in 2000. (Johnson, 9/3)
