Tag: emergency declaration

Timeline of the Measles Outbreak in Brooklyn

Breaking News – there are 30 new cases in Brooklyn, as a judge upholds the order, and 3 parents face penalties (see below).

There have been several big outbreaks of measles in the United States this year, but until recently, the biggest hadn’t gotten much attention.

As the outbreak in Brooklyn kept getting bigger and bigger, most people focused on the outbreaks in Clark County, Washington and Rockland County, New York.

Timeline of the Measles Outbreak in Brooklyn

Of course, with the emergency order in Brooklyn, the focus is now shifting.

So what do we now about the Brooklyn measles outbreak?

  • the outbreak began in October 2018 and was started by a traveler returning from Israel, where there is a large outbreak
  • as of early April, there have been 285 cases (we rarely see that many cases in an entire year, even when combining all of the cases in the whole country!)
  • most cases are in the Orthodox Jewish community, even though this is not a religious issue, except that this community has been targeted by an antivaccine group
  • 246 cases have been in children
  • the youngest case was an infant who was only 4 weeks old!
  • 21 people have been hospitalized
  • 5 have been admitted to the ICU!

What else do we know?

Although the outbreak is in its 5th month, which is very long for a measles outbreak in the post-vaccine era, there have been 152 new cases in just the past month!

There were 133 measles cases in Brooklyn in early March.

So at a time when cases should have already stopped (most outbreaks only last a few months), or at least be decreasing, the Brooklyn outbreak has more than doubled in size!

There have been 285 cases of measles in the Brooklyn outbreak.

There is no sign of it stopping either, with news reports of more than 20 to 40 cases each week.

And that’s what brought on the April 9 declaration of an emergency order.

“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that any person who lives, works or resides within the 11205, 11206, 11221 and/or 11237 zip codes and who has not received the MMR vaccine within forty eight (48) hours of this Order being signed by me shall be vaccinated against measles unless such person can demonstrate immunity to the disease or document to the satisfaction of the Department that he or she should be medically exempt from this requirement. “

ORDER OF THE COMMISSIONER to All persons who reside, work or attend school in the neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York and to the parents and/or guardians of any child who resides, works or attends school in the neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York

Does this mean that they will be forcing everyone in Williamsburg to get vaccinated? And arresting those that don’t?

“I want to do the common sense point. We are trying to get people vaccinated. Our goal is not to find anyone. Our goal is not to shut down schools. Our goal is to get people vaccinated.”

Mayor Bill De Blasio

It should be clear that they are just trying to end the outbreak.

“People in violation of the order will be identified through identification of exposures. Disease detectives will check for immunization status or immunity when tracing the contacts of a person who has developed the illness. “

Oxiris Barbot, M.D. Commissioner of Health

And no one will be forced to get a vaccine. You might be fined if you insist on not getting vaccinated and you have been exposed to someone with measles, but you still won’t be forced to get the vaccine.

Why did it come to this?

Couldn’t they just quarantine folks who are exposed?

Well, they have been trying that…

And it hasn’t been working.

Williamsburg press conference with NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio, with Herminia Palacio, MD, NYC Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services, and Oxiris Barbot, MD, NYC Commissioner of Health
Williamsburg press conference with NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio, with Herminia Palacio, MD, NYC Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services, and Oxiris Barbot, MD, NYC Commissioner of Health

In addition to schools continuing to let in unvaccinated students, the health department is concerned that people in the community might actually be having measles parties!

“So we have not used a public health emergency to mandate vaccine in recent history. The circumstance of the combination of a large anti-vax movement in combination with a large outbreak has not happened in the way that it has happened right now.”

Dr. Herminia Palacio, NYC Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services

As in Rockland, there is also an aggressive anti-vaccine campaign in Brooklyn that is pushing misinformation and is scaring parents away from vaccinating their kids.

30 new cases this week

If you are upset that this is happening in Brooklyn, the outbreaks and the response to the outbreaks, the anti-vaccine groups working in the community are to blame.

Vaccines are safe, with few risks, and are very obviously necessary.

Get vaccinated. Stop the outbreaks.

Timeline of the Measles Outbreak in Brooklyn

Updated April 18, 2019

Did New York Declare Medical Martial Law over a Measles Outbreak?

You have to admire anti-vaccine folks for one thing, they are consistent.

Well, actually, no.

Admire is the wrong word…

Did New York Declare Medical Martial Law over a Measles Outbreak?

As most folks know, Rockland County Executive Ed Day made an emergency declaration banning unvaccinated kids from public places.

I guess because he was anticipating a freak-out from anti-vaccine folks, he went out of his way to say that the emergency declaration does not mean that law enforcement will be asking for vaccine records and that they are just trying to get the attention of parents, some of whom weren’t cooperating when their kids were sick.

So what was the reaction?

About as you would expect…

Martial law?

Medical martial law? An emergency declaration saying you will get a class B misdemeanor if your unvaccinated kid goes to the mall is the same thing as martial law? Ordinary laws have been suspended and the military is taking over?

If you listened to the press conference, the problem isn’t really that we need new laws, it is that some folks aren’t cooperating with existing ones. Again, in the middle of the longest outbreak in recent history, some parents who have kids sick with measles aren’t talking to health department officials who simply want to control and stop the outbreak.

What else is wrong with the Natural News post?

Of course, it is the stuff about shedding and “improperly weakened viral strains.”

In truth, measles outbreaks are started when unvaccinated folks travel out of the country, get measles, and bring it back to a community with a lot of other unvaccinated people. And tragically, sometimes folks who are too young to be vaccinated or who have true medical contraindications to getting vaccinated get caught up in these outbreaks.

Did they listen to the press conference? When did he say that they would be going door-to-door?

Hillary Simpson telling folks in New York to riot.

Is it actually legal to tell folks to riot and incite them to open civil disobedience?

Kate Tietje calling for open civil disobedience.

Surpriginsly, most went to straight to comments about Hitler and concentration camps.

It is offensive to compare the emergency declaration in Rockland county to putting people in concentration camps.
It is offensive to compare the emergency declaration in Rockland county to putting people in concentration camps.

This is the modern anti-vaccine movement.

These are the leaders and heroes of the anti-vaccine movement.

Larry Cook on the emergency ban in Rockland County.

To be clear, rabbis in the community have been telling folks to get vaccinated and protected!

“Whoever isn’t vaccinated is a murderer” reads a rabbinic letter recently signed by leading charedi rabbis in Israel, according to Yeshiva World News. The kol koreh was distributed after a spread of Measles in the ultra-Orthodox communities in Israel and around the world. Earlier this month an unvaccinated infant died, and more than 1300 people have been infected with a preventable disease. The Gedolim who signed the Kol Koreh include: Rav Yitzchak Silberstein, Rav Shimon Ba’adani, Rav Sriel Rosenberg, Rav Moshe Shaul Klein Rav Menachem Mendel Lubin.

As Measles Spread, Leading Charedi Rabbis Come Out Strongly Against Anti-Vaxxers

I wonder what the people in these communities would think of all of this holocaust imagery that anti-vaccine folks are using to try and keep the outbreaks going?

The National Vaccine Information Center is exploiting a photo of five year old Avram Rosenthal and his two year old brother Emanuel of the Kovno ghetto in Lithuania. Both boys were later deported to the death camp at Majdanek where they were murdered.
This is a photo of five year old Avram Rosenthal and his two year old brother Emanuel of the Kovno ghetto in Lithuania. Both boys were later deported to the death camp at Majdanek where they were murdered. Why is it being used in an article about measles outbreaks?

It is very clear that this is not about religion.

“The Orthodox Union (OU) and the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) strongly urge all parents to vaccinate their healthy children on the timetable recommended by their pediatrician.”

Statement on Vaccinations from the OU and Rabbinical Council of America

People in these communities have been misled and misinformed by anti-vaccine propaganda.

How about we make folks who push anti-vaccine misinformation wear dunce caps?
How about dunce caps on folks who push anti-vaccine misinformation?

Don’t let them make it worse.

More on the Emergency Declaration in Rockland County

The Rockland County Emergency Declaration

As their measles outbreak enters its six month, Rockland County health officials are making a big move to prevent more cases – an emergency declaration banning unvaccinated kids from public places.

Not surprisingly, anti-vaccine folks are reacting as you would expect.

The Rockland County Emergency Declaration

So what’s in this emergency declaration?

Does it force parents to vaccinate their kids, as anti-vaccine folks have been warning us about? Does it quarantine unvaccinated kids in their homes?

It must be pretty outrageous if folks are willing to basically incite others to riot, right?

“Every action we have taken, since the beginning of this outbreak has been designed to by the department of health of Rockland County in conjunction with the state department of health to do two things, maximize vaccinations and minimize exposures. We are taking today the next step in that endeavor… In order to prevent any more children from falling ill from this deadly disease, I am today declaring a county wide state of emergency. Effective at the stroke of midnight tonight, March 27, anyone who is under 18 years of age and is unvaccinated against the measles will be barred from public places until the declaration expire in thirty days or until they receive at least their first shot of MMR.”

Ed Day, Rockland County Executive

The emergency declaration:

  • exempts those with a medical contraindication to getting vaccinated
  • does not mean that law enforcement will be asking for vaccine records
  • does mean that your case will be referred to the District Attorney if you are in violation (class B misdemeanor) – your child is in a public place without at least one dose of MMR
  • holds parents accountable if they are in violation
  • exempts homes
  • exempts many public places, like streets and parks

So basically, the emergency declaration supports what the health department is already doing to end the outbreak and will hopefully get the attention of those who are keeping the outbreak going.

Are they out to arrest people?

No.

“We owe this to the residents of this great county so that we never ever have to go through this again. This is an opportunity for everyone in their community to do the right thing for their neighbors and come together. That’s what this is about now. We must do everything in our power to end this outbreak and protect the health of those who can not be vaccinated for medical reasons and those children too young to be vaccinated and also those who are risk…”

Ed Day, Rockland County Executive

They are trying to get their attention and educate them.

“Get your children vaccinated.”

Ed Day, Rockland County Executive

Vaccines are safe, with few risks, and are necessary.

Let’s stop the outbreaks.

The Rockland County Emergency Declaration