NEW YORK, NY — New York City declared a public health emergency Tuesday over a measles outbreak centered in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and ordered mandatory vaccinations in the neighborhood.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the unusual order amid what he said was a measles crisis in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg section, where more than 250 people have gotten measles since September. Officials blamed the outbreak on “anti-vaxxers” spreading false information.
The order applies to anyone living, working or going to school in four ZIP codes in the neighborhood and requires all unvaccinated people at risk of exposure to the virus to get the vaccine, including children over 6 months old.
The city can’t legally physically force someone to get a vaccination, but officials said people who ignore the order could be fined $1,000. The city said it would help everyone covered by the order get the vaccine if they can’t get it quickly through their regular medical provider.
“If people will simply cooperate quickly, nobody will have to pay a fine,” de Blasio said.
Officials say 285 measles cases have been confirmed in New York City since the beginning of the outbreak, the largest in the city since 1991.
New York City accounted for about two-thirds of all U.S. measles cases reported last week.
The city’s health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot, said that the majority of religious leaders in Brooklyn’s large Orthodox communities support vaccination efforts, but that rates have remained low in some areas because of resistance from some groups that believe the inoculations are dangerous.
“This outbreak is being fueled by a small group of anti-vaxxers in these neighborhoods. They have been spreading dangerous misinformation based on fake science,” Barbot said. “We stand with the majority of people in this community who have worked hard to protect their children and those at risk. We’ve seen a large increase in the number of people vaccinated in these neighborhoods, but as Passover approaches, we need to do all we can to ensure more people get the vaccine.”
The commissioner is empowered by law to issue such orders in cases when they might be necessary to protect against a serious public health threat.
Earlier this week, the city ordered religious schools and day care programs serving that community to exclude unvaccinated students or risk being closed down.
Another Jewish religious community, north of the city but with close ties to Brooklyn, has also seen a surge, with at least 166 cases since October. Last week, a state judge blocked an attempt by Rockland County officials to halt the spread of measles by banning unvaccinated children from public places.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children get two doses of measles vaccine. It says the vaccine is 97% effective.
Longtime political leader Ward 2 DC City Council member Jack Evans has a challenger for his job in 2020. His former 2016 reelection campaign co-chair Patrick Kennedy.
A new app has been created to track every kind of hate crime in the U.S.. The app is called Hate Incident Reporting System and it was created by the University of Utah. The creators are hoping to document reports that never make it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. From slurs written on a bathroom wall to acts of violence.
Today we talked to Jerron Hawkins a graduating senior at Howard University, Obama White House mentee and the founder of Reach Foundation, Inc. The Washington, DC native who is on a mission to disrupt negative cycles and establish a productive and uplifting culture for collegiate minorities. He accomplishes this by providing scholarships, facilitating mentorship, and highlighting the impact that minority college students have on college campuses and in communities around the world through Reach.
The FBI is now looking into suspicious fires at 3 historically black churches in St. Landry, Louisiana. The incidents happened on March 26 and 27th. A fourth church fire was reported in Caddo Parish. It was a small fire. Caddo Parish is about three hours North of St. Landry Parish. The most recent fire in St. Landry Parish was on Thursday. The burning of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas. Thus far no one has been hurt but the churches are destroyed.
Starting today DC Superior Court jurors who have to serve for more than a day will be given a pay raise. The daily pay is going from $10 to $40. In addition, to that court officials also decided to increase travel subsidies from $4 a day to $5 a day.
Prince George’s County Police were called to a home in the 13000 block of Buchanan Drive at 10:30 on Sunday in response to a shooting. Once there they found an 18-year-old female who had been fatally wounded in the Fort Washington home.
There was another bad crash on a local roadway that has snarled traffic for miles. This one, however, was deadly. Two people have died and three others remain in the hospital. The victims are listed in critical or serious condition.
DC Police were called to a double shooting in 49-hundred block of Nash Street in Northeast. Investigators say the adult males were shot multiple time last night near the Deanwood Recreation Center.
Maryland lawmakers have approved a bill that could soon allow minor to get a pill to prevent HIV. The measure allows people under the age of 18 to get the prescription known and P-R-E-P without their parent’s consent. the medication reportedly is preemptive in stopping one from contracting the HIV virus. The bill moves to Governor Larry Hogan’s desk. If he signs off on the legislation Maryland will become the 17 states to pass a similar law.
A grandmother and her thirteen-year-old granddaughter are dead after a massive townhouse fire in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. The identities of the victims have not been released.
Lawmakers in Maryland voted yesterday in favor of changing the legal age that a person can buy tobacco from 18 to 21. The change includes e-cigarettes and vaping products. It also follows a new study showing a spike in the number of teens using e-cigarettes.
Contributed by Nia Seaton
DC City Officials and AAA Mid Atlantic are teaming up today to kick off a campaign about distracted driving. It is in conjunction with April being National Distracted Driving Month.
There is a new tool in the fight against Opioid deaths in the District of Columbia. Today, DC Mayor Muriel Bower will announce that DC Police Officers and members of the Narcotics and Special Investigation Divisions will have the life-saving Naloxone with them. The medicine will be stored on the outside of their vest.
