New York City measles outbreak rises to 133 cases

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Brooklyn and Queens, city health officials report a dozen new cases, bringing the total to 133 since October.

Most of these cases have involved members of the Orthodox Jewish community.

The neighborhood of Williamsburg saw 11 new cases during the past week, while one travel-related case was reported in Brighton Beach.

The majority of individuals diagnosed with measles have been children, of whom more than 90 percent were unvaccinated.

Several patients acquired measles while traveling abroad to the United Kingdom, Israel and Ukraine.

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To date, over 5,700 exposures have occurred in the city related to this outbreak, primarily in healthcare facilities including in emergency departments, inpatient facilities, urgent cares, and numerous outpatient clinic settings.

Health officials say there are large outbreaks of measles occurring globally, including in Israel, Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. Providers should ensure that adults and children aged greater than 12 months who are traveling outside the U.S. have documented immunity to measles.

Adults who believe they received their childhood vaccinations but who do not have documented immunity to measles should be vaccinated against measles prior to travel.

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Children between 6 and 11 months of age who will be travelling internationally are also recommended to receive a dose of MMR vaccine before travel, although this dose does not count towards completion of the routine schedule. The dose will need to be repeated at 12 months of age, as long as 28 days have passed since the prior dose.



