NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Of the 11 measles cases in New York City this year, two were just identified at a migrant shelter in Brooklyn, city health officials said.
The possible exposures at the Hall Street migrant shelter, located near Hall Street and Park Avenue in Clinton Hill, are limited to one floor.
If vaccinated, or proven to be immune through serology testing, nothing will change for the residents of the shelter floor. If they’re neither vaccinated nor immune, health officials said that they will be quarantined for 21 days.
“The Health Department and Health + Hospitals are coordinating to ensure that anyone who’s been exposed gets the support and resources they need,” NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said.
Measles is extremely contagious, but Vasan said that the risk to the community is low as most New Yorkers are vaccinated against it. Vaccination is common and often required, including in public schools and as a condition of immigration.
“Measles is preventable. The single best way to prevent measles is to be vaccinated,” Vasan said. “We encourage anyone who has not been vaccinated against measles to contact a health care provider to get a vaccine.”
There is no specific treatment for measles, a virus causing fever and rash, and about one in five people who contract measles in the United States will be hospitalized.
There were zero reported cases of measles in the city between 2020 and 2022, and only one case in 2023, making the 11 cases this year a stark increase in contraction.
For more information about measles, visit thy city health department website.