New York County Bans Unvaccinated Children From Public Places

Bottles of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine

Health officials in Rockland County, New York have declared a state of emergency amid a measles outbreak that has seen 151 confirmed cases of the viral infection. Rockland Executive Ed Day says that anybody who is under the age of 18 and has not been vaccinated against the measles will be barred from all public places for the next 30 days. It is unclear how authorities plan to enforce the ban.

Public health officials have been struggling to contain the outbreak, which has impacted numerous municipalities in the county. They recently banned unvaccinated children from schools, hoping to keep the outbreak from spreading through the school system. That decision prompted a lawsuit from parents who claimed that being forced to get their children vaccinated to attend school is a violation of their religious freedom. A judge denied their request, ruling that the ongoing measles outbreak justified the temporary ban.

"We continue to encourage everyone to be up-to-date with the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine to help protect them in case of any future exposure to measles in Rockland," Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said in a statement. "Measles is highly contagious, so anyone who is not protected against measles is at risk of getting the disease, and they may spread measles to people who cannot get vaccinated because they are too young or have specific health conditions."

Photo: Getty Images


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