A New York county has banned unvaccinated children from public places due to a measles outbreak.
A state of emergency has been declared in Rockland County. To try and contain the outbreak, health officials have banned any unvaccinated under 18-year-olds from public places.
Rockland County has 153 confirmed cases of measles. The outbreak has been going for six months, which is the longest outbreak since measles was declared eradicated in 2000.
The ban will include a requirement that unvaccinated children be kept home from school.
- Passengers flying from Melbourne to Christchurch exposed to measles
- Measles case puts hundreds of Aucklanders at risk
It will not include unvaccinated adults, although they are encouraged to get vaccinated as well.
It will take effect from midnight on Wednesday, and last 30 days, reports CNN.
The outbreak is spreading rapidly through multiple areas in the county, and public health officials are warning vulnerable people to avoid six different locations in the area.
"I think it's a reasonable measure in the midst of an outbreak," said John Hopkins University vaccine safety specialist Dr Dan Salmon.
"The health department has the authority and an obligation to protect the community and those [members] who are vulnerable, like children with compromised immune systems."
New Zealand is also in the midst of a measles outbreak, with 35 confirmed cases in Canterbury and nine cases in Auckland.
Newshub.
