YWN has been reporting extensively about the measles outbreak, currently spreading through multiple Chareidi communities due to the so-called “anti-vaxxer” cult, who refuse to give the highly recommended and effective vaccine. Health Departments are extremely concerned, and there is panic spreading among parents of children in schools.
The outbreak has spread from Israel, where over 1200 people have been sickened, and an unvaccinated 18-month-old child was R”L killed.
Below are the latest updates:
ROCKLAND COUNTY (MONSEY, SPRING VALLEY, NEW SQUARE)
As of this report, there are close to 50 cases in Rockland County. Two children have been hospitalized – ONE IN INTENSIVE CARE – because of the measles outbreak, and the health department is taking more precautions to make sure it doesn’t spread among students.
The Viznitz Monsey Girls School announced that any child who is not immunized, can’t return to school for 21 days. No “religious exemption” is accepted. A religious exemption does not work when there is a measles outbreak.
Rockland County’s Commissioner of Health, Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, announced Wednesday that all schools in the Village of New Square are now required to keep students who are un-vaccinated or under-vaccinated against the disease home until 21 days have passed since the last case of measles is confirmed in the county.
However, YWN has obtained a recording taken on Sunday morning from one of the Anti-Vaxxer hotlines in Rockland County. A woman giving an update to the listeners says that “it’s ok to send your children to school tomorrow, Monday morning in Monsey – even without a letter. We will be distributing / getting a letter out as soon as possible”.
At least two Shuls that YWN knows of have informed their members that anyone not vaccinated can not enter the Shul.
This follows the story YWN published on Friday, where at least 6 Shuls in Lakewood have made the same rule. Six schools in Lakewood have made the same rule, and others are expected to follow suite.
So far, Rockland county has given more two thousand doses of the measles vaccine, referred to as MMR. Ruppert is urging parents to make sure their whole families vaccination history.
OCEAN COUNTY, NJ (LAKEWOOD)
Hundreds of people are showing up at their pediatricians to get vaccinations, following the report of at least 4 confirmed cases of measles in Lakewood.
The Ocean County Health Department and the NJ EMS Task Force have arrived in Lakewood, and set up large tents outside CHEMED Health Clinic, and have ordered approximately 1500 vaccinations to be administered to those requesting it.
At Doctor Shanik’s office, the premier and senior pediatrician in Lakewood, there are reportedly no vaccines available as they have run out.
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NEW YORK CITY (WILLIAMSBURG, BORO PARK)
In NYC, the Health Department is reporting 11 new cases of children with confirmed measles, bringing the total to 17. Chassidish communities in Williamsburg and Borough Park are affected. The children with measles range in age from 7 months to 4 years.
[MAILBAG: Time to Stand Up to the Anti-Vaxxers]
PHOTOS AND VIDEO BELOW VIA TLS:
Measles is highly contagious, so anyone who is not protected against measles is at risk of getting the disease.
People who are unvaccinated risk getting infected with measles and spreading it to others, and they may spread measles to people who cannot get vaccinated because they are too young or have specific health conditions.
Individuals are considered protected or immune to measles if:
• they were born before 1957
• have received two doses of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine
• have had measles confirmed by a health care provider
• or have a lab test confirming immunity
Symptoms include a fever, rash, cough, conjunctivitis or runny nose, and they could appear 10 to 12 days after exposure.
The virus can remain in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours.
To prevent the spread of illness, health officials are advising individuals who may have been exposed and who have symptoms consistent with measles to contact their health care provider, a local clinic, or a local emergency department before going for care.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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45 Responses
More FAKE NEWS. Lets not make it like measles is some type of life threatening illness.
These anti vaxers are reshoim and should be ostracized from our community. Their names should be publicized. shuls shouldn’t give them kibudim and yeshivos should throw out their children. Look at the damage they caused.
Why should the vaccinated kids care if unvaxxed come to school. They shouldn’t be able to catch it anyway if they are vaccinated.
Just drag the unvaccinated kids out of the classrooms and drop them off at SammyB’s house for home-schooling. They can all get sick together but no big deal since the Measles is not life-threatening.
sariray, The vaccine is only 97% effective. So yes there is a small chance that someone who is vaccinated can get it. Please make sure your kids do not go to school for 21 days!! Please tell all of your anti-vaxx friends the same.
Why do you imbeciles still write the same garbage (unless of course you are a troll which I fell for again!! 🙁 ) . What I just wrote is common knowledge. You anti-vaxx fools with your uneducated gedolim will infect Klal Yisroel. There are over 900 infections in Israel right now, 50 in Monsey and counting!!
I am done with you guys. I hope this is my last comment on this topic. Good luck to all of you in Lakewood. You are going to need it.
Vaccines are not 100% effective so even vaccinated children can still become ill.
Oh FFS…
@sammyb… it’s not the measles themselves that are life threatening, it’s the assault on a compromised immune system setting off a cascade of additional illnesses such as influenza and pneumonia on a body already struggling to get back back to health.
@ah yid… yes, let’s make social pariahs out of the unvaccinated. While we’re at it we should immediately stop all air travel between Israel and North America for as long as it takes 21 days to pass after the last person is legally declared to be measles free. We should also put tracking devices on all visitors known to originate from a measles hot spot of outbreak, quarantine them if found to be unvaccinated, and ship them back to where they came from immediately upon medical certification they are fit to travel.
@sariray… because the measles virus can stay alive and active for up to two hours on contaminated surfaces. A person’s body serves as a surface on which the virus can continue to live. Children often sit side side, their heads close together sharing secrets and silliness, they often hold hands, hug close, and because they are loving they kiss their brothers, sisters, parents, cousins, friends, grandparents, the list goes on and on.. The virus is almost all the time present even before a child begins showing symptoms, the child is an active carrier without knowing it, the child kisses her friend goodbye for the day, or even just sneezes out into the air, the active virus lands on a vaccinated child where it stays living for two hours. The vaccinated child goes home and does not become ill but kisses his or her baby brother or sister who is still too young to have been vaccinated or still a toddler not completely vaccinated. Guess what? Baby brother or sister or toddler gets sick. Very, very sick. Now what?
People need to behave with a conscience. Nobody wants to see severely sick children and babies. No one wants to see the elderly and others with compromised immune systems struggle for health and breath. Nobody.
Everyone should practice excellent hand washing habits and scrupulous personal hygiene. Keep all surfaces with which you come into regular contact clean, clean, clean. Bleach clean. Be mindful of what you are wearing and where you have been while wearing it, maybe send it to the laundry a little more often, it always feels better to wear clean clothes anyway. And finally, I would urge anyone unvaccinated and out and about to wear a mask while out. It is both proactive and responsible.
Well said sariray !!!!
@sariray, because the vaccinated kids can still be carriers and bring the measles home to their infant siblings who have not yet been (fully) vaccinated.
Talking Or texting while driving is much more dangerous than the antivaxxers are to everyone else. This is becoming a mass hysteria fed by the frum media. Of course, we should be immunized, lose weight, avoid loshon horah etc. This is not a national emergency for those that are already immunized who are 97% protected from measles.
To sariray, because if an unvaccinated child is infected with measles, but not yet showing symptoms, and sneezes on a kid that is vaccinated, and then that kid goes home and picks up his infant brother who can’t have the vaccination yet, that infant can catch the measles due to the unvaccinated child that was infected.
Because vaccine only works for about 95% of kids and the rest can still get sick.
Do you know if your child falls within 95% or 5%? Do you want to take that risk?
Omigosh, that’s TERRIBLE! If I had an unvaccinated child, I think I’d keep him or her home until the outbreak was over. WHY would anybody want to send their child to school if the herd immunity that had been in place has now been breached? Measles can lead to complications, and even if it doesn’t it still makes the patient miserably uncomfortable. Those poor, poor kids…
Still no name of the ICU patient to daven for?
Sammy, this is very real news, and deadly serious. US Center for disease control notes that 1 in 4 people with measles will require hospitalization. 1 in 1,000 will develop encephalitis from this disease, and between 1 and 2 in 1,000 will die.
https://www.cdc.gov/measles/parent-infographic.html
This is a plain issue of picuach nefesh.
This is not just being reported in YWN, but in Hamodia too.
Times of Israel notes data from the World Health Organization that 134,000 children worldwide died from measles last year alone.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/vaccination-campaign-launched-in-orthodox-neighborhoods-amid-measles-outbreak/
Are you allowed to publicize which Shuls in Lakewood posted such signs?
Is “killed” the correct word to use when talking about someone dying of an illness?
Sammy b – no, not “like” a life threatening illness it IS a life threatening illness. I had to watch a baby DIE from this last week. A completely preventable death had the parent vaccinated their kids.
Globally 1 in 1000 die from measles ( 1 in 600 in England last year. You not only put your own kids at risk but also others for whom the vaccine was not effective or too young to get the vaccine.
In Reply to sariray:
The above article states clearly
“they may spread measles to people who cannot get vaccinated because they are too young or have specific health conditions.”
-AND-
“The virus can remain in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours.”
Also, they are outside, in the environment, where immunocompromised or young babies might pass thru.
@ sammyb
Yes, true measles is generally not life threatening , BUT, it can cause permanent damage…the CDC lists a common (1 in 10) complication as an ear infection resulting in permanent hearing loss.
In Less common SERIOUS Complications, it lists:
One out of every 20 children gets pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children.
One child out of every 1,000 develop encephalitis (swelling of the brain) that can lead to convulsions and can leave the child deaf or with intellectual disability.
One out of 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die from it.
Listed as a rare (4 to 11 out of every 100,000 ) but later complication is Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a FATAL disease of the CNS, more likely if the child contracts the disease before age 2.
This is not “Fake News” but a REAL THREAT.
People should have gotten vaccinated but, if not, they should at the very least, keep themselves and their children at home to prevent the spread of this serious and rarely fatal disease.
H’ gave men hochma to be able to develop life and limb saving preventions from serious disease and in our ignorance and conceit we just throw back this gift? Rather one should humble themselves and follow expert advice.
I hope there are no more deaths or complications from this outbreak, Be”H.
Sammy, look it up. According to statistics, 1 in every 500 measles cases die. That is actually a lot. That would be 2 children in my daughter’s school. Think of your community. For every 500 you know, one would die. Thats a lot.
Also, keep in mind that even if they dont die, there is a high chance for awful side effects from measles, such as deafness. Read up on accounts from the past- women would deliver severely deformed children-missing arms, legs, blind….its not a joke.
> Haimy November 4, 2018 11:12 pm at 11:12 pm
“Talking Or texting while driving is much more dangerous than the antivaxxers are to everyone else.”
I really have to wonder how it is possible to even write such a statement. For six-year-olds who are reading this let me give one response so you will understand that the reasons no-one responded to that remark was because it was too stupid to respond to (not because it was correct). If a single person texts while driving, that in no way means the texting disease will spread on its own from that action. But if a single person with a contagious disease exposes it to others, it most certainly means that it can spread “on its own” and in theory infect the entire world, literally.
While we’re on the topic, I know someone whose daughter died from chicken pox. Sure, it doesn’t happen very often, but it is a real danger, and there is no good reason not to vaccinate your children against it. Not vaccinating is like crossing the road without looking. Sure, most of the time nothing will happen; until it does.
Stop the propaganda and the one-sided news. We know there’s another side to this that goes far beyond the measles. You are actively promoting sinas chinam
To sammyb, PRAY hard to HASEHM that you and your family DO NOT EAT YOUR WORDS!
where does the funding come from to print this propaganda? Do your research and follow the money.
homesteader, I don’t know the answer to that, but if you firmly believe that then you should also question practically all other print and online Jewish publications, as well as various shuls and yeshivos. I know my shul is deeply in need of a building campaign, so maybe you can direct me to where to receive Big-Pharma Vaccine funding for my shul?
Since you took the liberty at boldly asking a question (with zero sources or proof), I’ll also ask a question. Where is the funding coming from for Shalom and Esther Laine to be suing Yeshiva Oholei Torah in the Brooklyn Supreme Court all because they stubbornly choose to disobey THAT yeshiva’s rule (decided by the Hanhala) regarding vaccinations for students? Court cases that make it to the Brooklyn Supreme Court typically cost both sides tens of thousands of dollars, money that would have been spent on Talmud Torah for students and paychecks for Rabbeim. What you call “propaganda” is costing a real yeshiva and real Rabbeim a lot of money! I did my research, now please show me yours!
The greatest danger to the community-at-large comes from the newly-vaccinated children who harbor the disease itself within their newly-vaccinated bodies (compliments of the vaccine, which contains disease cells.)
To sammyb:
You are totally ignorant. An unvaxed baby in Jerusalem died of measles. It IS a fatal disease… B”H, most cases aren’t, but I have seen children permanently affected… as in a permanent vegetative state at 15. Are you willing to take the chance with your kids? And those who can’t be vaxed because they have serious medical conditions.
If you don’t know what you’re talking about, best keep shtum.
Vaccinating is definitely a serious matter but one has to keep in mind what the official insert states:
ADVERSE REACTIONS
The following adverse reactions are listed in decreasing order of severity, without regard to causality,
within each body system category and have been reported during clinical trials, with use of the marketed
vaccine, or with use of monovalent or bivalent vaccine containing measles, mumps, or rubella:
Body as a Whole
Panniculitis; atypical measles; fever; syncope; headache; dizziness; malaise; irritability.
Cardiovascular System
Vasculitis.
Digestive System
Pancreatitis; diarrhea; vomiting; parotitis; nausea.
Endocrine System
Diabetes mellitus.
Hemic and Lymphatic System
Thrombocytopenia (see WARNINGS, Thrombocytopenia); purpura; regional lymphadenopathy;
leukocytosis.
Immune System
Anaphylaxis and anaphylactoid reactions have been reported as well as related phenomena such as
angioneurotic edema (including peripheral or facial edema) and bronchial spasm in individuals with or
without an allergic history ……..
THE list goes on and on
As one that received all the necessary vaccines I wonder why my doctor never informed me of the possible dangers?
@Happyme I 100% agree with you! Sinas chinam the reason the beis hamikdash isn’t being rebuilt! And truthfully I’ve seen the sinas chinam as a bystander walking through the streets and catching hateful comments from (pro-vaxxers) jews! That scares me more than measles!
Berry95
The risks are extremely rare and not more common when exposing yourself to other stuff that are considered normal, everytime you introduce yourself to a new medication or even piece of chocolate (or any new food) you run the risk of most things on the list, nothing is 100% secure, yet you do not expect to be told about all the risks when eating a new nosh.
@Sylvia
I may not agree with everything you do but I respect you and do not hate you and will never insult you for the choices that you make.
I will not stoop down and be like those fanatics that cause harm insult and injury to those that have a different worldview then they do.
All this hatred is just not worth it, you are being treated here like certain fanatics treat people that are different themselves.
I respect you as a Tselem Elokim and love you as a fellow Yid.
@Sylvia
I may not agree with everything you do but I respect you and do not hate you and will never insult you for the choices that you make.
I will not stoop down and be like those fanatics that cause harm insult and injury to those that have a different worldview then they do.
All this hatred is just not worth it, you are being treated here like certain fanatics treat people that are different themselves.
I respect you as a Tselem Elokim and love you as a fellow Yid.
@2scents
Does a piece of chocolate carry the risks of the following- taken from the insert:
Pancreatitis; diarrhea; vomiting; parotitis; nausea. Panniculitis; atypical measles; fever; syncope; headache; dizziness; malaise; irritability.
There is clearly a difference.
And if the side effects are so rare WHY CAN’T VACCINE Manufactures in America be SUED?????
berry95
Have you ever opened the Physician’s Desk Reference that lists every single medication manufactured in US? I provides a wealth of scientific documentation about the mechanisms of how it works, plus lengthy lists of side effects, drug interactions, etc. Science requires that kind of transparency. That’s why you won’t find it on chocolate or other nosh. What this means is that the medicinal use of anything must be the product of a judgment call, that the benefits outweigh the risks. That includes over the counter products. It should include the entire stock of supplements, of which there is a microscopic amount of valid and reliable information.
The consensus of the medical community is that the benefits of vaccination tower greatly over the risks. Furthermore, the scientific merit of the anti-vaxxer claims is strongly challenged. But there is a bottom line here. Outbreaks of disease must be addressed by the best of scientific data available, as determined by the recognized experts and leaders. For the anti-vaxxers, they are hopelessly outnumbered in expertise, scientific merit, and sheer numbers.
Equally significant is that adverse reactions must be demonstrated to be the result of the medication or vaccination. There is not a single study that indicates this. Vaccinated people may develop other illnesses or symptoms, unrelated to whatever you wish to blame. It is a sensible as the age-old observation that greater than 99.9% of people who die in America have eaten pickles. Causal relationship anyone?
Defying the ban is a gross chutzpah. The school has the right to maintain a health standard, especially as it is consistent with the state regs and the medical community position. These children should be stopped at the door, and not allowed into the building.
Why are people here acting like babies and hurling such dirty talk towards the anti-vaxers??? But going to the point, I have 4 beautiful girls, but only the 2 oldest ones have received their young childhood vaccinations. The 2 youngest ones have not received any, and there is absolutely nothing I can do, due to the fact that a nutritionist that sells some vitamins in a basement and plays with a pendulin in his hands managed over the years to take over my wife’s mind (and money!!! a lot of it!) and my home and be the sole advisor and decision maker. Today we are not living together anymore, with the chances of fixing this marriage getting slimmer by each passing day, thanks to this nutritionist and his darling wife.
Someone who is pregnant and catches this disease, do you know how dangerous it is for her and her unborn child? Even if she has been vaccinated. So for all the people who “l’sheim shomayim” are not vaccinating do you want to have blood on your hands? You are not aware of the reality b/c if ch”V it would be your child who would die or would be deformed for life, what would you say then?
I assume all children who actually have measles are home in bed enjoying warm tea or playing Computer games this discussion is about healthy ones in school who didn’t receive today’s holy “shot” is that correct? If you believe someone else’s very existence is (imaginarily?)threatening your vaccinated child it’s al hanizuk lecharchik Es atzmo. Besides It’s your own fault your child didn’t get the measles at some point and have genuine immunity for the rest of his life . The shot causes him to spend the rest of his life at risk of getting measles- from anyone from anywhere- if you travel to another country to you ask all those in your vicinity for their immunization records? …the last time klal yisrael followed authority so faithfully was when they were being “resettled”. There was a lot of trickery accompanying the forceful evictions and there’s a lot of trickery today behind all the 68 shots a child MUUUUUST receive today in this country . European countries today need only around 8 or 10 not 68 like in the USA . I see many commentators talking like Neviim who KNOW what others must do
Bery95
You probably mean why is there a special court system designed for claims against vaccination companies.
The reason is simply due to the overwhelming Number of claims that were submitted against the companies, anything that happened to someone, even if it was years after the shot the parents or patients sued the vaccine companies.
This resulted in companies not wanting to be in the vaccine business as it exposes them to unreasonable and unlimited risk.
So, unlike you posted there is a process and system designed for claims regarding vaccines.
In fact, the majority of the claims are for injuries from the needle (exceedingly rare but can potentially cause nerve damage) and severe allergic reaction (anyone can be allergic to anything).
Says above if you were born before ’58 or if you received two doses of MMR you are considered immune. The pre ’58 is because you are presumed post-measles. Problem: how come those who had measles are immune for life yet those who had their two doses are still at risk of catching measles from the “unvaccinated”?? Apparently the vaccine works poorly. My father says in his time if you had measles you were sent home for a week till you were better that’s it. As to the “death” in Israel we did our own investigation and first hand accounts close to the family assert that the mother told the paramedic the child HAD HAD measles , this was long gone when the child died peacefully while sleeping yet they still put down measles as cause of death. Nothing but a miscommunication with big repercussions. So “Sammy B” was right- Fake News. Each year that passes since the ’50s we up the seriousness of benign diseases that aren’t to be taken so seriously, I can see this very same discussion taking place in 10-20 years about chicken pox along with “deaths” and all the rest of the drama ….
Roeh,
You should post your real name if you are making such dramatic claims in public.
I believe that you have chosen to selectively read only what suits your agenda. At first, there are large numbers of people that are unvaccinated and susceptible to measles. This includes children younger than 12 months, people that are immunocompromised or suppressed.
This is aside from the fact that vaccination and even being exposed to measles itself does not afford 100% immunity, rather only 95-97% immunity. Which means that from every 100 people, there will be 3-5 people that are not fully immune.
Furthermore, measles can cause Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) which has no cure and is devastating, some studies show that 1 in about 600 children with measles will get SSPE, which results in death. Unlike the misinformation being spread, this is not intended to scare or manipulate people into ‘believing’ or buying into some fringe conspiracy theory, these are simple well-documented facts.
The more common complications are pneumonia and respiratory disease, for which there are a number of children that were admitted due to their respiratory symptoms.
Not going to convince the anti-vaxers with either prevailing view of public health officials or kol korehs from leading rabbonim or askanim. Just do your best to lock them out of any yiddeshe mosdos and use every public form to shame them as to the sakanas nefesh their selfish actions impose on the tzibur. Sadly, their is no recourse for the parent of a child with a weakened immune system who is infected by another child without vaccination. You couldn’t go to a civil court or beis din and seek recovery for the costs of treating your child’s illness and c’v any permanent damages.
“This is aside from the fact that vaccination and even being exposed to measles itself does not afford 100% immunity, rather only 95-97% immunity. Which means that from every 100 people, there will be 3-5 people that are not fully immune.”
Actually, it means that a vaccinated person has a 3-5% chance of contracting the disease.. The odds are the same for every healthy person.
Two 2scents and gadolhatora I have read your post and would like to explain farther as I keep seeing claims that the vaccine brings 95% or 97% immunity.
Such numbers do not come from our own observations they are authority statistics. What does one do when authority statistics conflict with what we see with our own eyes, just trust authority and go on?
I do not know how old you guys are, but even if you guys are 75 years of age you have not heard of too many people catching measles twice, that is unheard of if not nonexistent even if around others with measles.
What we do know is that every last child who has not had measles but had his full dose of shots is still 100% at risk of getting measles if exposed to it regardless of age or number of shots. If this wasn’t the case we’d all feel secure since our children are all shielded and we’d have none of this hysteria of “your kid is sickening mine” etc etc
So the immunity from measles and the immunity from measles vaccine is not the same, one is real the other simply isn’t. That’s not called immunity that’s a joke of some sort.
Vaccines do seem to suppress it and prevent it from popping up on its own but come across someone with disease and there’s 0 protection , bringing all this fear and phobia of “unvaccinated persons”
Agree?
Gadolhadorah
Actually you can sue in a civil court if an unvaccinated child harms an immunosuppressed child. Do u know how many times its happened in our country? 0
Right, that whole logic is hypothetical without any scientific grounds whatsoever.
I advise vaccine skeptics to start their own schools with a foundational charter than includes medical freedom, specifically vaccine freedom. This might extend to shidduchim. Whoever knows the true dangers of vaccines would not do well with a spouse who insists on exposing future children to those dangers.