A judge dismissed a lawsuit Thursday that challenged an emergency declaration in New York City requiring residents of certain neighborhoods affected by a measles outbreak to receive mandatory vaccinations.
Mayor Bill de Blasio issued the order last week that would require unvaccinated people living in four ZIP codes in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to receive the measles vaccine in response to one of the largest outbreaks in decades. The outbreak has infected 329 people so far, most of them children from Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn.
“This is the epicenter of a measles outbreak that is very, very troubling and must be dealt with immediately,” de Blasio said.
The outbreak started when an unvaccinated child acquired measles on a visit to Israel, where a large outbreak of the disease is occurring, according to the city health department’s website.
