New York City measles outbreak cases reach 121
(HealthDay)—The number of measles cases in the New York City outbreak that began last October in the Orthodox Jewish community has reached 121, the city's health department said Thursday.
Most of the cases (108) are in children younger than 18, with 13 cases in adults. No deaths have occurred, but eight people have been hospitalized and one child ended up in the intensive care unit. Of the 121 cases, five were diagnosed in the past week and 26 were identified after symptoms subsided. Most of the cases have occurred in Borough Park and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, according to the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Four cases, including the first case, were acquired on visits to Israel, where there is a large measles outbreak. One case was acquired in the United Kingdom and one was acquired in the Ukraine.
A city health department-led campaign to encourage vaccination has resulted in more than 7,000 people receiving the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.
"As a pediatrician, I can't stress enough how critical it is to vaccinate children against measles," Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot, M.D., said in a city news release. "Measles is a serious, highly contagious, and potentially deadly infection. Complications and fatalities are rare but do happen. I urge parents not to take any risks that may jeopardize their children or other children in their community."
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