It’s time for residents of Queens to be on the lookout for measles, as 11 cases have been discovered in the neighboring borough of Brooklyn.
Measles is not very common in New York City, with only five or six cases usually discovered per year, according to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Roughly, 60 cases per year are discovered throughout the United States. The Brooklyn cases of the highly contagious viral disease, affecting nine children and two adults, were discovered in the past two months.
This is the second year in a row that New York City has seen an outbreak such as this; there were reportedly 26 victims in 2008, the largest number citywide since an epidemic from 1989-1991, where more than 55,000 cases were discovered and 123 deaths occurred nationwide.
The Health Department is advising parents and doctors to be vigilant in reporting cases of measles they discover. Despite the vaccination being required for admission to the city’s schools, colleges and daycare centers, only 92 percent of children between the ages of 19 and 35 months in New York City have actually received the vaccination, according to the agency.
“Children should be vaccinated against measles at one year of age,” said Dr. Jane R. Zucker, the Health Department’s assistant commissioner for immunization. “Vaccinating eligible children will protect them and help protect infants who are too young to be vaccinated, by reducing their risk of exposure. Delaying a child’s vaccination increases the risk of contacting measles and infecting others.”
The droplet infection lives in mucus in the nose and throat that, when released through coughing and sneezing, can land in other people’s noses and throats when they breathe or after they handle an infected surface.
Early symptoms of measles include fever (101 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit), coughing, red eyes, runny nose and watery eyes. Two to four days later, a red spotted rash develops on the face and spreads over the entire body. Symptoms generally appear 10 to 12 days after exposure to an infected person. A person is able to spread the disease beginning four days before any symptoms develop.
Vaccination is the most important way to stop another outbreak. There are two doses of the vaccine required, the first being around the child’s first birthday, the second at four to six years old. These doses provide life-long protection.
It is recommended that you talk to your doctor or your child’s doctor if you have not been vaccinated. You can also call 3-1-1 for more information.
