Notes from the Field: Measles Outbreaks from Imported Cases in Orthodox Jewish Communities — New York and New Jersey, 2018–2019

Weekly / May 17, 2019 / 68(19);444–445

Robert McDonald, MD1,2; Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, DO3; Maria Souto, MPH3; Dylan E. Johns, MS2; Kevin McKay, MPH3; Noelle Bessette, MPH4; Lissette X. McNulty5; Jennifer E. Crawford, MPH6; Patrick Bryant, PhD7; Maria Cecilia Mosquera, MD3; Sonya Frontin, MPH8; Tatiana Deluna-Evans3; Daniel E. Regenye, MHA6; Elizabeth F. Zaremski, MPH4; Vanessa J. Landis, MPH8; Bonnie Sullivan3; Brian E. Rumpf, JD6; Judi Doherty3; Kathryn Sen2; Eric Adler, MPH4; Lisa DiFedele, MPH4; Stephanie Ostrowski, PhD2; Christine Compton, MD2; Elizabeth Rausch-Phung, MD2; Irina Gelman, DPM5; Barbara Montana, MD4; Debra Blog, MD2; Bradley J. Hutton, MPH2; Howard A. Zucker, MD2 (View author affiliations)

The figure is a Visual Abstract on a Measles outbreak; it urges health care providers to check patientâ€™s vaccination history and vaccinate as necessary.

On October 1, 2018, the Rockland County (New York) Department of Health (RCDOH) alerted the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) of an unvaccinated teenaged traveler with diagnosed measles. During the next 17 days, RCDOH learned of an additional six unvaccinated travelers with measles. On October 24, 2018, the Ocean County (New Jersey) Health Department alerted the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) of a case of measles in an international traveler, with rash onset October 17. The unvaccinated travelers reported recent travel in Israel, where an outbreak of approximately 3,150 cases of measles is ongoing (1). Investigations during October 1, 2018–April 30, 2019, identified 242 laboratory-confirmed and epidemiologically linked measles cases in New York, excluding New York City, and during October 17, 2018–November 30, 2018, identified 33 in New Jersey (Figure). The cases of measles were primarily in members of orthodox Jewish communities.