At Clarkstown Pediatrics in Nanuet, New York, babies are on an accelerated measles vaccination schedule, getting their first shots six months early and their second dose right away.
It’s part of a statewide effort to stop several outbreaks of measles from turning into an epidemic. The state has had 122 cases of the highly infectious virus since September, making it the worst year for measles since the 1990s.
Pockets of unvaccinated children have provided fertile ground for the measles virus to take hold. Although measles was eliminated in the U.S. the virus has been brought back by travelers to Israel, which has been battling an epidemic of measles for months. The victims: mostly members of close-knit Orthodox Jewish communities across the state.
“It’s a clear and present danger right here in our community,” said Dr. Douglas Puder, a pediatrician at Clarkstown Pediatrics. His practice is right in the middle of the biggest outbreak, in New York’s Rockland County. Last week, the county reported 105 cases of measles since the fall. More than 80 percent on average had not been vaccinated and just three cases had received both recommended doses of measles vaccine.
tional brigde Simon Bolivar on the border with Venezuela on March 21, 2018 in Cucuta, Colombia.
Local, state and federal health officials are battling to fight the outbreaks, which they believe have been fueled by a combination of anti-vaccine propaganda, lax enforcement of school requirements to vaccinate, and a growing trend among some families to turn away from standard medical care. As a result, some private schools in the county reported vaccination rates had fallen to as low as 50 percent. It takes a vaccination rate of 95 percent or higher to prevent outbreaks of disease.
Measles vaccination rates for 2017
Measles, mumps and rubella vaccination coverage among U.S. children 19 to 35 months. The government’s target is 95 percent.
Hover your mouse over states to see the vaccination coverage
80%
90%
100%
Louisiana: 91.3%
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