Measles resurgence in the United States
Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000 by the World Health Organization due to the success of vaccination efforts.
[1] However, it continues to be reintroduced by international travelers,[1] and in recent years, anti-vaccination sentiment has allowed for the reemergence of measles outbreaks.
[8] The vast majority of people infected had not received vaccination and were living in close-knit communities where the immunization rate is lower than average.
[9] The director of the National Institutes of Health wrote in 2016 that parents refusing to vaccinate their children were leading to outbreaks of preventable diseases, including measles.
[14] Before the vaccine was available in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that about three to four million were infected each year, of which approx.
[16] In the United States on average, two or three out of every 1000 children infected will die, and one will develop complications that often result in permanent brain damage.
[12] In response to the outbreak, Representative Paul Harris proposed a measure that would remove the ability for parents to refuse any of the required childhood vaccines for philosophical reasons, otherwise keeping medical and religious exemptions.
[7] Children would not be allowed to attend public or private schools or day-care without evidence of vaccination or approved exemption documents.
[28] The areas of Williamsburg and Borough Park, two Brooklyn neighborhoods with a high concentration of Orthodox Jews, have been most heavily affected.
In response to the outbreak, Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency and ordered mandatory vaccinations in the neighborhoods corresponding to the zip codes 11205, 11206, 11211, and 11249.
Prior to the order, the health commissioner had required schools and day care centers in the area deny service to unvaccinated students to prevent the disease from spreading.
Passengers on the flight were informed several days later that the woman had developed measles encephalitis and is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on a ventilator.
[33] In April 2019, a state of emergency was declared in Rockland County, and unvaccinated children were barred from public places for 30 days.
[35] That month, New York began considering legislation to join the seven states and Washington DC that allow children 14 years and older to seek vaccination without parental consent.
[43] The CDC published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report a summary of one outbreak caused by an unvaccinated teenager traveling to England.
[49][50] The State Surgeon General of Florida, Joseph Ladapo, addressed a letter to parents amid the outbreak, acknowledging the "normal" recommendation that unvaccinated children stay home, but stating his department was "deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance.
"[51][52] Ladapo's advice contradicts CDC guidance, which suggests that anyone not previously infected with measles or immunized against the disease observe a 21-day quarantine.
[54] Katelyn Jetelina and Kristen Panthagani, writing for Scientific American, referred to Ladapo's advice that children without immunization to measles could continue attending school after exposure as "unprecedented and dangerous".
[55] Leana Wen, in a column published by the Washington Post, characterized Ladapo's decision as "outrageous" due to the danger posed by measles.
By mid February the outbreak had grown to 48 cases centred around Gaines County with several also reported in the neighbouring state of New Mexico.
[69] In February 2019, YouTube stated that any user or channel endorsing anti-vaccination content will be demonetized entirely, and not receive any funding for advertisements played before videos.
