Posted on 12/27/2018 3:41:52 PM PST by Kaslin
This isn’t the first time the question of banning unvaccinated students from school has arisen, but the story coming out of Brooklyn this Christmas season has a bit of a twist. School officials in several communities informed parents this week that students attending Orthodox Jewish yeshivas in Williamsburg, Mapleton, Broadway Triangle, Kensington, Sunset Park, Borough Park, Bensonhurst, Midwood and Marine Park would not be allowed to attend class until they receive the proper number of measles vaccinations. This rule would apply even if the student had a religious exemption. An outbreak of the disease in these schools prompted the decision. (US News)
Health officials said in a letter Thursday that children in Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn cannot return to their schools until they have gotten the appropriate measles vaccinations.
Amid a measles outbreak, New York City health officials are banning unvaccinated children from attending schools in some Brooklyn zip codes.
As of Wednesday, there had been 39 cases of confirmed measles in Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn since October, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said. The child with the first confirmed case of the virus was unvaccinated and had contracted measles while on a trip to Israel. Additional unvaccinated children in the area also traveled to Israel and contracted measles while abroad. Israel is currently facing an outbreak of the disease.
A number of students who recently traveled to Israel came down with measles, leading to a quickly spreading outbreak. Israel has been experiencing a widespread measles outbreak this winter.
We’re a bit lacking in laws covering how these policies are implemented. The National Institute of Health has guidelines for excluding students from classes when they have infectious diseases such as chickenpox and measles, but enforcement is generally handled at the local level.
It appears the resistance to childhood vaccinations is a particular problem in the Orthodox Jewish community and has been for some time now. The NIH issued a report specific to this community back in 2008 in which they came up with some recommendations, but no definitive policy was established. The primary driver was found to be the relative “isolation” of the Orthodox Jewish community and subsequent susceptibility to rumors about dangers associated with vaccines.
This whole “anti-vax” debate is one that I’ve largely stayed out of in the past, primarily because I find it so frustrating. Claims about dangers of autism, etc. from vaccines simply haven’t held up under close scrutiny. The CDC’s finding and recommendations regarding vaccinations present a compelling argument that any negative side-effects from vaccination are mild and very short-term. The odds of a disastrous side-effect are so remote as to be negligible, while the benefits of what’s known as “herd immunity” vastly outweigh those concerns.
So can the schools ban these unvaccinated children until the measles outbreak subsides? Both from a legal perspective and sound medical research, the answer appears to be yes. There’s still a fair chance that somebody will fight this based on a claim of religious freedom, but it’s hard to muster much sympathy for them in that event.
More government interference in parental rights.
Can you blame them? NYC has THE highest illegal population in the country and now this new strain of polio is spreading, but no doubt the commie Mayor running that city will mandate schools take unvaccinated kids because when it comes to lives leftists always put their demented ideology first and foremost.
>>As of Wednesday, there had been 39 cases of confirmed measles in Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn since October, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said. The child with the first confirmed case of the virus was unvaccinated and had contracted measles while on a trip to Israel. Additional unvaccinated children in the area also traveled to Israel and contracted measles while abroad. Israel is currently facing an outbreak of the disease.
What happened to quarantining travelers and immigrants?
Yet in our government secondary school systems, illegal immigrant children are coming in with no vaccinations or any other health information and being welcomed with no screening of any kind and allowed to infect our juvenile population at will.
This won't make any difference, but New York could win a humanitarian award for banning ALL children from NYC.
Would you say the same thing if "Israel" was replaced by "Mexico" throughout this report?
It's a tough question, but parental rights end when you're dealing with a potential epidemic involving a highly communicable disease. U.S. courts will always weigh the rights of the individual vs. the protection of the public, and this is probably one of the rare cases where the public interest would outweigh even a religious exemption.
Granted, this private individual decision isn’t so private and individual when other kids are required to be around the unvaccinated kids making it a health issue.
Yes I would.
I was contra indicated for small pox vaccine due to a skin condition. School nurse inquired, doctor’s not provided, end of story. That is how it should be.
A new strain of polio????? Wasn’t that declared to be eradicated?
Not polio per se, but related - acute flaccid myelitis. Often presenting in similar fashion.
But it’s perfectly OK to bring in illegals with exotic viruses hat our hospitals don’t recognize and there is no current vaccine available.
Many teachers at elementary level schools are trying to get pregnant. Why should they be put at risk to these infectious diseases. My daughter is a teacher and if she were to get pregnant I’d tell her to quit working until after the pregnancy.
What's so terrible about Measles?
When I was growing up, nearly everyone I knew got them and got over them. What would be different if the same thing happened now among the people who refuse the vaccinations?
ML/NJ
Explain the logic of this.
Seems Big Guv is always looking for a plausible excuse to separate people from their rights.
If a population is immunized and an individual isn't, seems the only one at risk is the individual unless we're admitting the whole immunization theory is a scam. Any explanation will be taken under advisement except a variation on the "herd immunity" nonsense. The first to use that goo will be sent to the back of the class.
“Granted, this private individual decision isn’t so private and individual when other kids are required to be around the unvaccinated kids making it a health issue.”
I am just wondering if someone can tell us if Measles vaccinations are against Orthodox Jewish teachings?
When I grew up there was no vaccination against Measles and Mumps. You could get the disease only once, after that you became immune to it. Your parents kept you home form school per your family doctor’s orders and were only allowed to return to school when the family doctor gave permission. The same was true if you came down with the flu.
Didn’t parents purposely introduce/infect their kids with chicken pox when it would break out to get it over with and control the level of infection (again something you could only get once)
If I am a leftist mayor how do I exploit this? Those Orthodox Jews tend to be rather conservative, so they are good targets. Aha! I have it!
"The Jews are the carriers of this unpleasant disease and are trying to spread it among the goyim! We are the government and are here to help you avoid the disease the diamond merchants and interlopers are trying to give to your children!"
"A bit strong Mr. Mayor, but it might work with some refinements. Master Goebbels would be proud of you!"
My daughter did not get the vaccination for smallpox which she was supposed to have gotten when she turned one year old. The reason she did not get vaccinated was that she came down with Meningitis when she was 7 month old. So she would have had to wait another year, but by that time the disease was eradicated, so the vaccination was not necessary anymore.
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