Health Dept. bars unvaccinated kids from yeshivas amid measles outbreak

Members of the Orthodox Jewish community who have not been vaccinated are being barred from local yeshivas amid a measles outbreak.
There have already been 39 confirmed cases of measles in Borough Park and Williamsburg.
Starting Friday, the Health Department is ordering children in kindergarten through 12th grade to stay home unless they’ve received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
It’s believed the outbreak started after unvaccinated children traveled to Israel and contracted the disease. The mandatory exclusion is a way to prevent the spread of measles in schools.
Common measles symptoms include rash and fever. It can be transmitted through airborne particles and droplets.
The Health Department typically allows an exception to the rules for religious reasons. However, since this is an outbreak with at least 39 cases, the department can make a change.
In a statement the CEO of Boro Park Jewish Community Council said, “Many of our schools have already implemented such measures, before the DOH announced the new regulations. We expect 100 percent compliance from all of our schools and look forward to stopping this dread disease in its tracks.”
Council Member David Greenfield says there are ads in some Jewish publications promising a "fake cure" for measles, but he advises the best method is getting vaccinated.