NYC DOH Recommends Changes to Measles Vaccine
Yesterday, the New York City Department of Health issued an alert regarding the outbreak of Measles in the Jewish communities. To date 28 cases have been reported. In light of this the DOH has recommended changing administering the first dose of the vaccine to 6-months to all children living in Crown Heights, Williamsburg and Boro Park.
The following letter was distributed to local health care providers:
Dear Colleague,
There continues to be ongoing measles transmission among the Orthodox Jewish communities in Borough Park and Williamsburg, Brooklyn. To date, there have been 48 confirmed cases, including 28 in Borough Park and 20 in Williamsburg. Additional suspected cases are being investigated. In recent weeks, cases have begun occurring in younger children. During the past month, the median age of cases has declined to 2 years (age range 10 months – 17 years) with 19% aged less than 12 months, 52% aged 12 months to 4 years, and 29% aged 5 – 18 years. All cases were in persons who were unvaccinated at the time of exposure, because they were too young to have been vaccinated or because their parents delayed or refused vaccine for their children. Over 2,000 identified people have been exposed to measles in households (through relatives or friends), apartment buildings, and medical provider offices.
Measles transmission has been sustained by two factors: a large pool of susceptible children under 12 months of age and large family and communal gatherings. To interrupt the spread of measles in this community, the Health Department recommends that the first dose of measles-mumps-rubella-vaccine (MMR) now be given at 6 months of age to all Orthodox Jewish children living in Borough Park, Williamsburg, and Crown Heights. Although cases of measles have not yet been identified in Crown Heights, we are extending this recommendation to this community to prevent introduction of measles. Further, non-Orthodox children receiving medical care in practices that serve predominantly Orthodox Jewish patients, should also receive MMR vaccine beginning at 6 months of age because of the increased risk of exposure.
A dose of MMR vaccine given prior to the first birthday (there is a 4 day grace period) will not be considered a valid dose in the Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR) or for daycare or school entry. Infants who receive MMR vaccine before their first birthday should receive an additional dose at 12 months of age as long as 28 days have passed after the initial vaccine dose. These children will still require a ‘second valid’ dose prior to school entry at 4 – 6 years of age.
In the setting of this outbreak, Orthodox Jewish children aged 12 months and older living in Borough Park, Williamsburg, and Crown Heights who have received their first dose of MMR should receive their second MMR dose now, as long as 28 days has elapsed after the first dose. This second dose will be considered valid and will count toward the school immunization requirements.
Vaccination at an earlier age is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for outbreak control when many cases are occurring among infants <12 months of age. This will increase the proportion of infants who are protected against measles. Ninety five percent of infants who were 6 months old at the time of vaccination demonstrated a response to the vaccine as measured by cell mediated immunity and/or seroconversion (Gans et al. JID 2004;190:83-90). The same study documented that an infant’s ability to respond to a second dose of MMR is not compromised by early administration of vaccine. MMR vaccination of children 6 – 11 months of age who will be traveling overseas is already a routine Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendation and is considered safe.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Rosen, MD Jane Zucker, MD, MSc
Director, Epidemiology and Surveillance Assistant Commissioner
Bureau of Immunization Bureau of Immunization
NYC DOHMH NYC DOHMH
Medical Professional
You can thank the misguided parents that did not vaccinate their children for this!
Non Vaccinating Parents PLEASE....
If you don’t vaccinate your child and he has the measles (or any other contagious disease) and he goes to his classmates house (of course you wouldn’t send him if you knew about it) he can easily transfer it to their newborn sibling and or any other non vaccinated person. So Therefore, PLEASE, don’t be so “natural” on yenems cheshbon!
Thank you
Not just a contagious disease
Measles starts off as fever. If you are a non-vaxer keep your kids away from the rest of society if they are not in 100% perfect health. Temp over 99? Keep them home. Runny nose? Don’t let them outdoors.
DANGER!!!!dont vaccinate!!!
and you might run into a risk of loosing your child.
for those anti vaccinationists: if you vaccinate your “might” “contract” ASD. if you don’t vaccinate your child may end up being a tombstone in montefiore cemetery.
A decision you gotta make.
oh and if you dont vaccinate you will endanger my kids, the medical office personel, people in shul, school and in stores as well as Hatzalah members that will be called in to aid your dying child.
Milhouse
“if you vaccinate your “might” “contract” ASD.”
Well, I suppose that’s true; but this is *just as likely* if you *don’t* vaccinate. Vaccination does not increase the risk of ASD even one tiny bit. Children don’t “contract” it, they are either born with it or they’re not. If they are then it will begin to show itself somewhere around the age of 2, no matter *what* you do or don’t. And if they’re not born with it then they will never get it no matter what you do or don’t.
(Yeah, I know, you probably already knew this, but it should be made clear for those who don’t.)
ayl
any idea how long the vacine is good for?
My kids were vacinated but a few years ago….
ayl
so… just called the dr.
Once you have had 2 shots your good.
BH.
but by all means ask a dr…
monitor closely but naturally
Measles take a natural course of symptoms which, in some communities, the Dept. of Health comes in and monitors. Suppressing this and other bodily eliminations of toxins, etc. will later in life come out as something much worse.
There's no need for this.
Huh?
Milhouse
That’s ridiculous. There is no such thing as “elimination of toxins”. Measles is a miserable and deadly disease, and no child should be unnecessarily subjected to it.
Nobody
I got Measels at 12 after having been vaccinated (from a music teacher’s child who was not vaccinated). Being vaccinated is 95%, as the article says, not 100%, so avoiding exposure is still a good idea.
BTW, for those who are anti-vaccine with the 95% effectiveness it can prevent 100% of the disease, as the 5% are too dispersed for the disease to spread. That is how smallpox was eradicated. And the smallpox vaccine was actually deadly to some.
The Rebbe would instruct parents to vaccinate. For those (like me) who do recognize there are unpleasant potential side effects – although autism specifically has been disproven in all ways possible, for anyone who cares to check the only study which showed an effect was comprised of bogus data made by a doctor looking to sue vaccine companies, and many, many subsequent and larger studies found no link – what we do is vaccinate towards the end of the recommended age range rather than the beginning and space out the vaccinations in multiple visits instead of giving a bunch at once.
To the nonvaccinators
We should segregate all the nonvaccinated kids into a single class, taught by their own parents, and they should daven in their own shul.
If they want to live their life that way: that’s their choice. But they shouldn’t be allowed to endanger the rest of us.
Oh, since they don’t want to follow the rules: they should have all their city/state benefits cut. Why should we have to pay so they can endanger us???
you guys are so...
i cant believe you ppl are actually discussing this here…SERIOUSLY?
You are not changing anyones mind to or not to vaccinate… you just sound like a bunch of uneducated yenta machers bad mouthing all the non vaccinating moms…so just stop and save it for the court room
Mush
It needs to be discussed because unfortunately there are still some people who subscribe to the dangerous and flawed ideas of the antivax movement.
The community needs to get together to stop these people from endangering our children.
to mush
that may be true but this is not the place
monitor closely but naturally
I usually appreciate your comments Millhouse, but here you are completely ignorant and uninformed. It’s another consciousness- not just theoretical. I know this firsthand. However, it goes with not eating eggs or dairy products, so isn’t necessarily applicable to this community. It’s a different lifestyle choice.
Milhouse
You are the ignorant one. No diet is going to protect your children from measles. *Nothing* will protect them nearly as effectively as vaccination. It’s not a “lifestyle choice” it’s essential protection from a dangerous disease. Not vaccinating your child is like letting him cross the road without looking.
DownSouth
If a child is well cared for, measles is a mild nuisance and no more. Baruch HaShem, I obtained my immunity naturally–I had the disease. No dangerous formaldehyde and mercury put into my body.