Measles Outbreak: Rockland Cases Jump Again

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect Rockland County's newest confirmed case count in its measles outbreak.

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Rockland's confirmed measles cases stand at 180 as of April 11. That's up 12 cases since Tuesday, when health officials held a press conference to talk about the State of Emergency a judge has put on hold.

Also on Thursday, county officials warned of public measles exposure on April 4 and 5.

It's up almost 30 cases more than when the State of Emergency was declared March 27. There were 153 confirmed cases when officials put the rules into place, banning unvaccinated children under 18 from public places including stores, restaurants, schools and recreation centers.

Local anti-vaxxers took the county to court over the State of Emergency. The stay granted by Acting State Supreme Court Justice Rolf Thorse which ruled the state of emergency was unjustified also said that unvaccinated students at the Green Meadow Waldorf School who are part of the lawsuit were allowed to return to school.

Anti-vaxxers from around the country have attacked county officials; you can read their running commentary during press conferences posted on Facebook.

Misinformation put out by Ultra-Orthodox anti-vaxxers is part of the problem, according to an article in Gothamist. So members of the Orthodox Jewish Nurses Association checked out the popular and official-looking P.E.A.C.H. manual circulating among moms in the community, the news outlet said. It purports to give information about the dangers of vaccines but is actually filled with spurious citations and easy-to-refute claims. The nurses on the OJNA's Vaccine Task Force are doing just that. They hope to publish their P.I.E. manual soon and are seeking support for their effort on GoFundMe.

The measles virus is so virile it lingers in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person has left. It is so highly contagious that an un-vaccinated or -immune person who shares close space with an infected person who sneezes or coughs has a 90 percent chance of contracting the illness. Contagious people on average pass measles to 18 others.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day and Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Ruppert said then they were worried about the measles spreading more quickly during the spring holidays with their highly social gatherings.

Rockland residents are spreading the disease. A contagious child visiting Westchester from Rockland is the cause of eight cases there, that county's officials announced Wednesday.

Also, officials believe there have been many unreported cases in Rockland.

Rockland residents six months and older can get a free measles-mumps-rubella vaccine at the WIC office at 23 Robert Pitt Drive, Suite 103, in Monsey. The event will take place from 1-3 p.m. Friday.

The county plans to appeal Judge Thorsen's decision, but will not await the outcome of the appeal to take action. Instead, health department officials are identifying unvaccinated people who may be exposed to the measles and ordering them to stay home and without visitors. It is not a quarantine, they said.

"What we're saying to people is this: You are being noticed by the commissioner of health that if you go out after you've been identified, you break the order, you are subject to fines and those fines can be up to $2,000," Day said.

Meanwhile, New York City is trying its own State of Emergency rule. On April 9, the Health Commissioner ordered (PDF) every adult and child who lives, works or resides in the following ZIP codes and has not received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to be vaccinated:

• 11205
• 11206
• 11211
• 11249

If the Health Department identifies a person with measles or an unvaccinated child exposed to measles in one of the above ZIP codes, that individual or their parent or guardian could be fined $1,000. People who demonstrate they are immune from measles or should be medically exempt from this requirement will not need to get vaccinated.

As of April 8, there had been 285 confirmed cases of measles in Brooklyn and Queens since October.

SEE ALSO:

• Measles Outbreak: Rockland Will Order Certain People To Stay Home
• Measles Virus Taken Shopping By Bus, Taxi In Rockland: New Cases
• Parents Fight Measles Outbreak Rules In Rockland, Brooklyn
  
• 8 Confirmed Measles Cases In Westchester County: UPDATE