MONDAY, July 30, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- A new report details how a measles outbreak tore through two Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2013, ignited by an unvaccinated teen who brought the highly contagious disease home from a trip to London.

Before it was over, 58 people came down with the measles, out of more than 3,300 exposed contacts identified by public health officials. It stands as the largest outbreak of measles in New York City since 1992, according to the report.

There were no deaths. One child was hospitalized with pneumonia, and an unvaccinated pregnant woman suffered a miscarriage.

But New York City spent almost $395,000 and more than 10,000 personnel hours responding to the outbreak and working to keep it contained, according to the case study.

The report shows the risk of forgoing vaccination, particularly within a close-knit community, said lead researcher Dr. Jane Zucker, an assistant commissioner with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

"We determined that 71 percent of the cases were members of eight extended families," Zucker said. "Measles is one of the most contagious infections that we have. This is a reminder of how critical vaccination is for preventing disease."

The report also displays the effectiveness of a strong vaccination program, said Jason Schwartz, an assistant professor with the Yale School of Public Health.

New York City has a measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccination rate near 97 percent, Schwartz explained. This kept the outbreak confined to a group of people who apparently eschewed the vaccine for religious reasons.

"Even in the largest city in the world, in densely populated neighborhoods in Brooklyn, those individuals who were vaccinated around these clusters were unscathed," Schwartz said.

The measles-infected teenager returned home from London on March 13, 2013. Measles has been endemic in Britain since 2008, thanks to a decline in vaccination rates down to around 80 percent, Zucker noted.

The United States declared measles eradicated in 2000. However, unvaccinated Americans still are vulnerable to an outbreak if someone brings measles into the country from another part of the world.