HEALTH DEPARTMENT CLOSES TWO WILLIAMSBURG SCHOOLS FOR VIOLATING COMMISSIONER’S ORDER DURING MEASLES OUTBREAK

To date, the Health Department has issued twelve school closure orders since the April 9 measles Emergency Order

Since the April 9 Emergency Order, 51,124 MMR vaccinations have been administered to children 6 months to 18 years citywide, a 38% increase compared to the same time period last year; of those, 3,844 were administered to children from Williamsburg – a 99% increase compared to the same time period last year

588 cases have been confirmed since the beginning of a measles outbreak last October.

  The Health Department announced today that it has closed two schools in Williamsburg for failing to comply with an Order of the Health Commissioner in response to the current measles outbreak. UTA of Williamsburg – Yeshiva Torah V’Yirah (590 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, NY 11249) was closed today for failing to provide sufficient proof of immunity for a child who was present at the school and for allowing unvaccinated children and staff on site. UTA 212 (212 Williamsburg Street, Williamsburg, NY 11211) was closed for allowing 35 students who were either unvaccinated or did not have the required number of doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine to attend school. The schools will not be allowed to reopen until the Health Department reviews and approves a submitted corrective action plan that addresses the lapses in complying with the Commissioner’s Order. The Health Department had previously closed ten schools—including one of the programs closed today—for failing to comply with the Commissioner’s Order. This is the second time UTA of Williamsburg – Yeshiva Torah V’Yirah (590 Bedford Avenue) has been closed for violating the Commissioner’s Order.

“The spread of measles may be slowing down but we are not,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. “This is a message to all schools that have been ordered to exclude unvaccinated children -- we will not stop our enforcement until the outbreak comes to an end. School staff must do their part to help us end this outbreak and keep New Yorkers safe. We also continue to urge everyone to get vaccinated to protect themselves, their families and their communities against measles.”

Current Case Count

As of June 11, 2019, 588 cases of measles have been confirmed since the beginning of the outbreak last October. 437 cases (74%) have occurred in Williamsburg (ZIP codes 11205, 11206, 11211, 11249), which has been under an Emergency Order issued April 9 requiring those who live or work in these ZIP codes to have been vaccinated with the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR). A small number of cases have occurred outside of these neighborhoods but have, to date, not resulted in sustained transmission of measles.

Vaccination Progress

Since the April 9 Emergency Order, 51,124 MMR vaccinations have been administered to children 6 months to 18 years citywide, a 38% increase when compared to the same time period last year. Of those immunizations, 3,844 vaccines were administered to children in Williamsburg, a 99% increase in that neighborhood compared to the same time period last year. The Health Department credits this increase in part to partnerships with community organizations and community leaders within the Orthodox Jewish community, who have not only encouraged vaccination, but have worked with the Health Department to organize vaccination clinics and vaccine education and awareness events.

Community Outreach

The Health Department will continue to expand outreach to the affected community to provide education about the dangers of measles and the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. Since the beginning of the outbreak, the Health Department has:

• Published ads and distributed educational materials specific to the Orthodox community in both English and Yiddish.
  • Starting last month, ads have been running on bus shelters, LinkNYC kiosks, and in newspapers and online publications.
• Met with rabbinical and community leaders, health care providers and local elected officials to highlight the importance of getting vaccinated and the dangers of measles.
• Worked with community leaders and community-based organizations on vaccine education.
• Distribution of approximately 29,000 pro-vaccination booklets (Tzim Gezint and A Slice of PIE) each geared to the Orthodox community in both English and Yiddish.
• Conducted 25 rounds of robocalls that have gone out to about 30,000 households each.
• Individual calls to 16,000 households will be made reminding people in the community of the importance of vaccination.
• Sent text messages to almost 16,000 numbers.
• Sent letters to parents who have not vaccinated their children to remind them to make an appointment with their doctor and schedule a vaccination.
• Sent emails to medical providers with unvaccinated children in their practice encouraging immediate vaccination 
• Hosted a tele-Town Hall on April 30, 2018 to counter anti-vaccination propaganda.

To stop the spread of measles in New York City, the Health Department on April 9 ordered adults and children ages 6 months and older who live, work or go to school in ZIP codes 11205, 11206, 11211 and 11249 receive a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine within 48 hours. If non-compliant, the Health Department announced it would issue a civil summons to those in the affected ZIP codes who had not been vaccinated as of April 12. For more information, New Yorkers can visit the Health Department’s Measles page.