New York City declared a public health emergency yesterday over a measles outbreak and ordered mandatory vaccinations in one neighborhood for people who may have been exposed to the virus.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the unusual order amid what he said was a measles “crisis” in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg section, where more than 250 people, mostly members of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious community, have gotten measles since September.
The order applies to anyone living, working or going to school in four ZIP codes in the neighborhood.
The declaration requires all unvaccinated people who may have been exposed to the virus to get the vaccine, including children over 6 months old.
People who ignore the order could be fined USD1,000. The city said it would help everyone covered by the order get the vaccine if they can’t get it quickly through their regular medical provider.
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