AllTop Viral!

The number of confirmed measles cases has reached 704 spread across 22 states, the highest number since 1994.

There have been thirteen outbreaks across the country. Of those, six occurred within closely knit, under-immunized communities.

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, has said, “Forty-four cases were directly imported from other countries, and 9 out of 10 of those individuals were in unvaccinated persons. All 40 were old enough to get vaccinated.”

New York has been among the hardest hit by the virus. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has declared a public emergency in parts of Brooklyn experiencing a measles outbreak. The declaration requires that unvaccinated peoples get vaccines or pay fines. The outbreak is most heavily effecting the Orthodox Jewish community Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. A judge in Brooklyn ruled against a group of parents who attempted to challenge the mandatory measles vaccinations order. The parents claimed the city’s public health authority exceeded its bounds. New York lawmakers have also suggested a bill that ends religious vaccine exemptions amidst a measles outbreak. 

Private companies are also taking steps to stop the anti-vax movement. The crowd-sourcing site GoFundMe has banned anti-vaccine fundraisers. A child in the UK found an anti-vax leaflet in a book ordered of Amazon, prompting the company to investigate.