A population study of the NYS measles epidemic: Lessons learned

In 2019 the United States experienced the largest outbreak of measles in 27 years, 19 years after the United States declared measles eliminated. The purpose of this paper was to present a population study of a measles outbreak within Orthodox Jewish communities in New York that led to the elimination of religious exemption for school mandated vaccines.

Peer reviewed articles, news media, health department, and government resources were used to investigate environmental factors that led to this outbreak. State, county, and city immunization records were accessed to explore measles compliance rates before and after policy change.

Rockland County had low compliance rates compared to the rest of the state, and the elimination of religious exemptions raised compliance rate almost to state level. In all but one affected New York City zip codes, compliance following policy change rose to 97.95%-99.15%.

Overall, changes in measles compliance rates reflect policy goals, but localized differences imply a need for more customized interventions for each unique community. Public health planning to promote vaccination should be sensitive to the concerns and perceptions of each community in order for health interventions to have a positive effect.