FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 25, 2019
Contact: John Lyon 845-638-5645

Measles State of Emergency Ends

LOCAL OFFICIALS DETAIL NEXT STEPS

New City, NY, - Rockland County Executive Ed Day, Commissioner of Health Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, County Attorney Thomas Humbach, Rockland BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) Chief Operating Officer Dr. Mary Jean Marsico and New York State Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski discussed the end of the measles State of Emergency in Rockland and the challenges still ahead.

"122 days ago, I stood in this same room, with health officials, business leaders, law enforcement and many of you to declare a State of Emergency in Rockland County. On that day in March, we had 153 confirmed cases of measles. Today we have 283. The State of Emergency has ended, but our outbreak is not yet over," said County Executive Day.

There was a 13% increase in confirmed measles cases between March (40 cases) and April (45 cases) followed by steady decreases from month to month since.

• 29% decrease in May (32 cases)
• 63% decrease in June (12 cases)
• 42% decrease in July (7 cases to date)

In addition to steadily decreasing confirmed cases, MMR vaccinations numbers have climbed with 25,876 vaccinations given since October 2018. A 52.5% increase since the original State of Emergency declaration on March 26, 2019 (8,918 more MMR vaccinations since 3/26/19) shows how Rockland residents have stepped up to protect themselves and their neighbors.

Rockland County continues to offer opportunities for residents to get vaccinated at the Department of Health, 2nd Floor Clinic, Building A, 50 Sanatorium Road, Pomona, NY, on the following days and times in July and August:

• Mondays and Tuesdays: 2 – 4 PM
• Wednesdays through Fridays: 9 – 11:30 AM

To schedule an evening appointment call 845-364-2534 during regular office hours.

"In the past three weeks alone, we have administered 191 MMR vaccinations during our clinic walk-in hours. I thank all of our residents who have been vaccinated during this outbreak and want to once again reiterate the importance of vaccination to those who are unsure," said Dr. Ruppert. "Vaccines are safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines are the only way to prevent measles and many other dangerous diseases."

The Rockland County Department of Health (RCDOH) will continue to issue Commissioner's Orders to those exposed to measles; requiring isolation as per public health requirements. If you are contacted by RCDOH as part of an investigation, you are required to cooperate fully. If you are not immune and can receive the MMR: get the safe and effective MMR vaccine from your provider or from RCDOH.

County Executive Day, Commissioner of Health Dr. Ruppert and BOCES COO Dr. Marsico thanked Rockland's State delegation, Senators Skoufis and Carlucci and Assemblymembers Zebrowski, Jaffee and Schmitt, who worked hard this session to pass and vote for the bill eliminating all non-medical exemptions to vaccination.

Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski (D-West Nyack) said, "I am incredibly pleased that Rockland is at a place where a State of Emergency is no longer necessary. The U.S. is in the middle of the largest measles outbreak in 25 years - with New York State and our County being the epicenter of the epidemic. The County has made significant progress in increasing vaccination rates through a far-reaching public awareness campaign regarding the importance of vaccines; all helping to near a closure of this outbreak. I'd like to thank County Executive Day and County Health Commissioner Schnabel Ruppert and her team for working so hard to contain this public health crisis. As a staunch supporter of the legislation to eliminate the religious exemption that was recently signed into law, I look forward to continuing to work with the County in putting public safety first."

As the start of a new school year approaches the Rockland County Department of Health and local school districts have met to discuss requirements and share guidance from the New York State Department of Education regarding the elimination of non-medical exemptions.

Rockland BOCES Chief Operating Officer Dr. Mary Jean Marsico said, "Our message to parents and guardians is clear: if your child is unimmunized, he or she will not be allowed to attend school until they have received the required vaccines for their age. Students who fail to comply with state law will be excluded from school until they receive the required immunizations."

Senator James Skoufis (D-Hudson Valley) said by statement, "It is very positive news that in just over a month after the Legislature voted to abolish the so-called religious exemption for vaccines, Rockland County does not need to renew its state of emergency. As the number of measles cases comes under control and New Yorkers continue to get vaccinated, we can see how important the new law is in conjunction with Rockland County's local efforts. We know that vaccinations save lives and that immunization only works when all or nearly all people are vaccinated. I would like to express my gratitude to Rockland County Executive Ed Day and Rockland Commissioner of Health Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert for their leadership in quickly combating this recent outbreak. Here in New York State, our collective efforts demonstrate we will not stand on the sidelines while residents are put at risk."

"Thanks to aggressive action taken by the County and State, we are successfully combating the measles outbreak. We must continue to emphasize the importance of everyone being vaccinated against the measles and increase vaccine education. The law to end non-medical vaccine exemptions is the right step forward to prevent outbreaks like this in the future and safeguard public health," said Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland-Westchester) by statement.

"As a member of the Assembly Health Committee, I am responsible for recognizing and supporting legislation and other health initiatives that are in the best interest of the people of New York State. Immunizations are essential in preventing the outbreak of harmful bacteria and viruses and keeping our community healthy and safe," said Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee (D-Suffern) by statement. "We have taken great strides as a nation to protect and improve the health of families and communities by eliminating and controlling many life-threatening illnesses, including measles. While I believe in protecting the First Amendment right to freely practice one's religion and in personal choice, an individual's rights must be balanced with a public responsibility to protect the health of the entire population. Immunizations have played a critical role in this process."

County Executive Day concluded by saying, "while the State of Emergency is no longer in effect, and the outbreak has waned and is under control, our vigilance will not be compromised or slowed in any way. We will not allow this disease to again take root in our county whether it be due to administrative failures, an attitude that the law does not apply to all, or some misguided sense that the world revolves around you to the detriment of all."

The entire press conference can be viewed here: https://bit.ly/2YkNahS 

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