Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Two Pregnant Women Sick & 12 Fined For Violating Vaccination Rule As NYC Measles Count Grows
By
Gwynne Hogan
and
WNYC Staff
Published Apr 24, 2019
Modified Apr 24, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gwynne Hogan / Gothamist
By
Gwynne Hogan
and
WNYC Staff
Published Apr 24, 2019
Modified Apr 24, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Two pregnant women have been sickened with measles and twelve people who have violated the city’s mandatory vaccination rule face $1,000 fines, as the city’s measles outbreak continues, health officials said Wednesday.
The total number of measles cases has now climbed to 390 dating back to October, with an additional 31 cases in the last week. Overall, 29 people have been hospitalized, six of whom needed intensive care. No deaths have been associated with the outbreak so far.
Contracting measles while pregnant can be extremely dangerous for the fetus and can result in birth defects including deafness or blindness, intellectual disabilities, or heart problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
“We urgently repeat our plea to every New Yorker, especially those in the affected areas—unless you have a medical condition that prohibits you from doing so, please get vaccinated,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. The Health Department is now urging pregnant women in Williamsburg and Borough Park to get screened for measles immunity.
The city’s ongoing order requires residents in four Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant zip codes to get the measles vaccine or face fines. Around 1,000 children have been vaccinated since the emergency was declared on April 9th, though an estimated 14 percent—more than 3,000 kids, aged one to five—were still not vaccinated as of April 14th.
Rabbi Simcha Scholar, the head of Chai Lifeline, a nonprofit that provides support to Orthodox Jewish families with children who have cancer and other severe health conditions, said it’s been a trying time for parents he works with, for whom a measles exposure could mean their child dies.
“They’re very worried, rightfully so; they refrain from going any place public,” he said. “It’s a very difficult, isolated time. These people are suffering greatly and their anxiety levels are at a very high level.”
Over the course of the outbreak, eight people caught the virus abroad in Israel, the United Kingdom and the Ukraine, according to the Department of Health, and brought it back to New York City, spreading it to others. All but seven people who got sick, according to city officials, have identified as Orthodox Jewish.
With Passover festivities in full swing, some community leaders have called on unvaccinated children to stay home from synagogues. Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt with the Rabbinical Alliance of America recommended this for his Long Island synagogue, and his advice was shared with religious leaders.
“Please get your children vaccinated,” he said. “If your children aren’t vaccinated they pose a risk to other children, so please don’t bring them to temple.”
Across New York State, there have been an additional 231 measles infections, according to the State’s Health Department, including 199 cases in Rockland County, 20 in Orange County, 10 in Westchester County and 2 in Sullivan County. The outbreak has largely impacted the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, including in Michigan where there have now been 43 cases, tracked back to a traveler who caught the measles in Brooklyn and spread it to others there.
Nationwide there have been 626 measles cases, about 64 percent of which have occurred in New York State, the second largest number since measles was declared eradicated in 2000.
Gwynne Hogan is an associate producer at WNYC. You can follow her on Twitter at @GwynneFitz.
Tagged
health department
measles
vaccination
vaccinations
original
Gwynne Hogan
Gwynne Hogan is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
WNYC Staff
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Homeless New Yorkers’ healthcare costs plummeted after getting housed, study finds
The study tracking Medicaid claims for 259 New Yorkers found a steep drop in healthcare costs.
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Nov 12, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET
Early Addition: Leaf-peepers and booze cruisers unite on the ferry to West Point football games
Because it's a great boat ride no matter your motives, here are your early links: "Saturday Night Fever" magazine story was made up, a short seller called this Nvidia scandal, justice for chickens and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: Leaf-peepers and booze cruisers unite on the ferry to West Point football games
Because it's a great boat ride no matter your motives, here are your early links: "Saturday Night Fever" magazine story was made up, a short seller called this Nvidia scandal, justice for chickens and more.
By
James Ramsay
NYC bill would require food delivery firms to fund fixes to the e-bike 'crisis'
By
Arya Sundaram
Death toll from Brooklyn building collapse continues to rise amid ongoing search
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Verónica Del Valle
North Brooklyn street redesign paves the way for NYC's 'low-traffic neighborhood' plan
By
Liam Quigley
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .