During the last major measles outbreaks in the US, it took extraordinary measures to stop the spread
CNN
Six years ago, two communities in New York – one in Brooklyn and one in Rockland County – were facing the worst measles outbreaks the United States had seen in decades. It was the closest the nation has gotten to losing elimination status for the extremely contagious disease, a milestone that was achieved in 2000.
Six years ago, two communities in New York – one in Brooklyn and one in Rockland County – were facing the worst measles outbreaks the United States had seen in decades. Measles had been declared eliminated from the country in 2000, but 2019 brought the nation the closest it has been to losing that status. Now, measles outbreaks are growing in West Texas and New Mexico. Testing sites and vaccine clinics have opened in outbreak areas and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention arrived in Texas last week to support the response. Still, local health officials say spread could continue for months. Back in 2019, swift, sustained efforts to curb the measles virus brought the country back from the brink. The response centered on the unique needs of communities that were most at risk, powered by hands-on public health work that was supported by formal policy changes. Experts say the way the outbreak played out in New York underscores the importance of an all-hands-on-deck approach to stop the spread in other outbreaks. The outbreaks in New York, which started at the end of 2018 and persisted through most of 2019, were concentrated in Orthodox Jewish communities that had been targeted with anti-vaccine disinformation for years. Public health experts who were part of the on-the-ground response say that building trust within the community was perhaps the most important part of their work because it created opportunities to better utilize the most important tool available: vaccines. “Vaccination is the most important way to prevent the devastating disease that measles can be,” said Dr. Neil Vora, executive director of Preventing Pandemics at the Source, a coalition of organizations focused on reducing risk from novel viruses. He was heavily involved in responding to the measles outbreak in 2018 and 2019 as a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employee working out of the New York City health department at the time.
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