Long Islanders urged to get measles vaccine amid Rockland County emergency

Residents across Long Island are being urged to get the measles vaccine if they don't already have it.

News 12 Staff

Mar 28, 2019, 9:46 AM

Updated 1,891 days ago

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Residents across Long Island are being urged to get the measles vaccine if they don't already have it.
Officials say there is no immediate public health concern on Long Island, it's simply precautionary.
Rockland County declared a state of emergency this week over the measles outbreak. More than 150 people have been affected, mainly in the Orthodox Jewish community.
Residents like Levittown's Traci Gordon brought her daughter to the pediatrician Thursday for her scheduled MMR vaccine. Gordon says she wants her daughter to be protected.
Health officials had considered measles eliminated in U.S. almost 20 years ago, but there are still cases across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of March 21 there were 314 cases of measles in 15 different states including New York. Out of those cases, 156 of them are in Rockland.
Dr. John Zaso says overall Long Island is in good shape with vaccination numbers around 95 percent.
"I wouldn't panic," says Zaso.
Unvaccinated minors are banned from public places in Rockland during the state of emergency.
 
Interview with Dr. Zaso about the measles outbreak
 


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