Measles Outbreak: Make That 7 New Cases This Week In Rockland

Rockland County health officials coping with the country's longest measles outbreak had fingers crossed as February began to unfold. They started the month with a total of 130 confirmed cases of measles over four months — and for more than 10 days, no others were reported.

But in the middle of this week, they learned about five more.

By Friday another two had been confirmed. Plus there's one more suspected case that they're monitoring. That sets the clock back to zero in the county's 21-day countdown for lifting emergency restrictions on schools where the vaccination rate among students is lower than 80 percent.

County health officials, with authority from New York State, placed emergency restrictions on schools in the geographic center of the outbreak. Un- or under-vaccinated students may not attend any schools where the vaccination rate is lower than 95 percent until 21 days after the last confirmed case in the county. They are required to report student immunization dates on a weekly basis.

Most schools affected are yeshivas in the Ultra-Orthodox communities of Monsey, New Square and Spring Valley. Nine yeshivas that had not complied with the orders to keep un- or under-vaccinated students home and provide health officials with updated vaccination records were fined about $70,000 in December. So far, the county has lifted orders on more than 30 schools but more than 20 are still restricted.

Asked about religious exemptions, Rockland County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Ruppert said, "I've met with the rabbis. I have asked them directly if there's a religious reason why people should not be vaccinated and the answer is 'no.'"

The county has been coping with measles for five months. The first case of an international traveler with measles was in late September, and more cases at the start were due to separate international travelers, three from Rockland and one from abroad in early October.

SEE:

• Rockland Measles Outbreak: 5 New Cases This Week
• National Measles Outbreak: NY County Reaches 130 Cases
• Measles May Make You Vulnerable To Other Deadly Diseases
• Lawmaker Accuses County Exec Of Politicizing Measles Outbreak
• Measles Outbreak: 96 Cases In 2018 In Rockland
• Rockland Fines Yeshivas Over Measles Outbreak Orders
• Measles Outbreak: Officials Vaccinate 47 At Palisades Mall
• Measles Case At Public Elementary School In Rockland
• Measles Outbreak: Confirmed In 25 Other States As Well As NY
• Measles Outbreak: 88 Cases In Rockland, 34 In Brooklyn
• Now With 40 Measles Cases, County Adds Restrictions, Clinics
• Seven Cases Of Measles Confirmed In Rockland County
• After Recent Measles Scare, Rockland Offers Residents Free Vaccine
• Measles Exposure In Rockland County, Newark Airport