Tag: Herminia Palacio

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