There is a now a one case of measles in Chicago.

YWN has confirmed that a young child was confirmed to have the disease on Thursday, December 6.

The child visited Lakewood NJ on November 20, and returned to Chicago on November 26.

Additionally, the child was vaccinated with MMR on November 19 – just one day prior to out of state travel to New Jersey.

Meanwhile the Ocean County Health Department (Lakewood) tells YWN that Eighty-six residents recently attended an invitation only event where measles exposure may have occurred. The Ocean County Health Department is endeavoring to contact all of the potentially exposed persons and others in its continued investigation and efforts in support of containing the measles outbreak.

While Ocean County’s confirmed measles cases remain at 18, with 6 remaining under investigation, Ocean County Health Department Public Health Coordinator Daniel E. Regenye, cautions that the measles outbreak is likely far from being over.

On Thursday, the NYC Health Department banned all unvaccinated children from Yeshiva in Boro Park, Williamsburg and parts of Flatbush. Click here to read what zip codes this ban has been placed on.

Chicago Rabbonim has been proactive in the past weeks and have been warning the community of the halachic obligations to vaccinate. Those warnings were published extensively on YWN.

The following letter was released on November 13, and signed by HaRav Shmuel Fuerst, the Dayan of Agudath Yisroel of Illinois, and HaRav Yona Reiss, Ava Beth Din of the Chicago Rabbinical Council.

YWN has previously published an audio recording of HaRav Fuerst of Chicago regarding the vaccinations. Rav Fuerst joined the growing list of Poskim releasing Piskei Halacha directed towards the anti-vaxxers, following the measles outbreak which has spread across many Chareidi communities.

Rav Fuerst says he did alot of research into the issue (of vaccinations), and released the following message (audio below, transcribed by YWN):

“Every child must have vaccination shots. And a school should not take in any kids that were not vaccinated because of the Issur of ‘Lo Saamod Al Dam Reacha’ – because another child can catch this sickness. It can be measles, mumps, polio or any of these types of illnesses which are almost completely unheard of, and now we are hearing of them because people are not getting vaccinations.

“If you have a playgroup, you must make sure that all the children are vaccinated. If there is a child who is not vaccinated, you (the playgroup owner) must notify all the other parents, because you are putting them all in jeopardy”.

Rav Fuerst says this applies to children simply going to play at another child’s home. If they are unvaccinated, the other family must be notified.

Last week, YWN published an extensive Psak Halacha written by one of the leading Poskim in the world, Hagaon HaRav Moshe Shternbuch to the Rosh Yeshiva of BMG, HaRav Malkiel Kotler. In the letter translated for YWN, Rav Shternbuch explains why it is a Halachic obligation to vaccinate.

Additionally, the issue of vaccinations was brought up at the Agudah Convention at a panel with HaRav Elya Brudny and Harav Yosef Elefant. The video below is from that session.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)