Measles outbreak in NYC from one unvaccinated kid shows just how far the disease can spread

Protect your flock

An outbreak of the measles in the Yeshiva Kehilath Yakov school in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is highlighting the dangers of anti-vaccination culture. The yeshiva has recorded an outbreak of 21 cases of measles after a single student came to class with the disease. According to the New York Times, this happened in January—one month after the New York Health Department ordered “that schools in selected ZIP codes prohibit unvaccinated students from attending classes.” 

The issue here is that private religious schools such as Yeshiva Kehilath Yakov are attended by children from very insulated communities—communities that have been slower to receive correct information about vaccinations and their necessity for protecting public health. While this is not a problem just in religious communities, states like New York do allow religious exemptions to vaccination requirements.

Washington state is dealing with the largest measles outbreak it has had in decades. Dozens of almost entirely unvaccinated children have led to this state of emergency. This is a fact that is not up for discussion—whether you believe in the relentlessly debunked conspiracy theory that vaccines like the MMR cause autism, or you have joined the rest of the human race in realizing that any drawbacks and side effects to vaccinations are far outweighed by the benefits to society as a whole.