Seventeen children in the Orthodox Jewish community in the Williamsburg and Borough Park neighborhoods of Brooklyn, N.Y., have been diagnosed with measles, the New York City Department of Health reported Nov. 2.
Here are four things to know:
1. A portion of the infected children, ranging from 7 months to 4 years old, were hospitalized due to complications, according to CNN. No deaths were reported. Three children contracted the measles while they were in Israel, which is experiencing an outbreak with 1,334 cases reported as of Nov. 4.
2. In every 1,000 pediatric measles cases, one or two patients will die, according to the CDC. Health officials said most of the children likely contracted the infection at school. Danielle De Souza, a spokesperson for the health department, wrote in an email cited by CNN that about 14 of the 17 patients were unvaccinated at the time of their exposure to the measles.
3. In the Brooklyn measles outbreak, a majority of the children did not receive the MMR vaccine at 12 months old, as the CDC recommends. The CDC recommends everyone, including infants 6 to 11 months old, receive vaccinations for international travel. Ms. De Souza told CNN, "This outbreak would not have happened if the children had been vaccinated on time." Ms. De Souza indicated the overall New York City school populations have a high rate of vaccine coverage due to schools requiring immunization.
4. Rabbi David Niederman, president of the United Jewish Organization of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn, said in a statement Nov. 2 that the Torah guides individuals to guard their own health. "It is abundantly clear on the necessity for parents to ensure that their children are vaccinated, especially from Measles," Rabbi Niederman said.
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