So far this year, more than 300 people have contracted measles in 15 states in the U.S. Almost half of those cases occurred in Rockland County, just north of New York City. Because of the outbreak, which has lasted nearly six months, county officials have declared a state of emergency and are banning anyone who is unvaccinated from frequenting public places. [NY County Declares Emergency Over Measles Outbreak, by Carol Pearson, Voice of America, March 28, 2019]
Nearly 80 percent of New Yorkers in a new poll said vaccinations should be required for kids before they can go to school, regardless of family religious beliefs. Support for required vaccinations is strong among Democrats, Republicans and independents, according to the latest Siena College poll. Over 75 percent of Republicans, 86 percent of Democrats and 70 percent of independents were in favor.[New Yorkers in poll want mandated vaccines, regardless of family religious beliefs", Kevin Tampone, Syracuse.com, March 18, 2019]
While we fret about rising sea levels, the threat posed by Russia and the implications of having a lunatic in the White House, coming in from the blind side it’s going to be the anti-vaxxerswho end up killing us all. [Forget Trump – anti-vaxxers are the clear and present danger", Emma Brockes, The Guardian, March 28, 2019]
As of March 27, 2019, there have been 155 confirmed measles cases of in Rockland County, NY. This outbreak can also be traced back to October of 2018 when an international traveler arrived in New Square with a suspected case of the measles. New Square is an all-Hasidic village in the town of Ramapo, located in Rockland County, NY... Across the world in the State of Israel, between March 2018 through January 31, 2019, more than 3,400 individuals were confirmed infected with measles. The Israel government says this measles outbreak is a result of the virus being imported to Israel by visitors, who later infected un-vaccinated populations. Unfortunately, the measles outbreak in Israel is still ongoing... To stop this worldwide measles outbreak, the CDC says under-vaccinated international travelers are the leading source of the measles virus and need to get vaccinated. [Israel Visitors Brought Measles to New York in 2018," by Don Ward Hackett, PrecisionVaccinations.com, March 27, 2019]