Preventing Measles Outbreaks: Tips for Healthy Living in New York

Two adults living at a * * New York City * * migrant shelter were diagnosed with * * Measles * * , a preventable but highly contagious respiratory illness , city health officials said on Friday . The citys * * Department of Health and Mental Hygiene * * is coordinating with the local hospital system to ensure that anyone who s been exposed gets the support and resources they need , according to a news release from the department . As of Friday , the circle of people who might have been infected was limited to those residing on one floor of the shelter , health officials said . The shelter , on * * Hall Street * * , is in the * * Clinton Hill * * neighborhood of * * Brooklyn**.

The close quarters of shelters can often exacerbate the spread of respiratory illnesses . During the * * Covid-19 * * pandemic , the coronavirus spread rapidly through crowded homeless shelters in the city.

**Measles * * can cause high fever , coughing and rashes , among other symptoms . It can also lead to serious health complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis , especially among children under the age of 5 . Symptoms can appear one to two weeks after contact with the virus that causes * * Measles * * , according to the * * Centers for Disease Control and Prevention * * . A person with the illness can infect nine out of 10 people nearby if they are not vaccinated against it , according to the agency.

At least two people staying at a sprawling migrant shelter in * * New York City * * have contracted * * Measles * * and health officials in the Big Apple are working to stop the spread of the disease , according to reports . The outbreak took place at a migrant shelter on * * Hall Street * * in * * Clinton Hill * * , a huge taxpayer - run facility which opened last year . The facility houses around 3,000 migrants.

The two people who tested positive are being quarantined on one floor of the building while dozens more are also being quarantined , according to * * CBS * * . * * Measles * * is a highly contagious and serious airborne disease that can lead to severe complications and even death , especially in children . It is characterized by a fever as high as 105F and malaise , cough , coryza and conjunctivitis followed by spots and a rash , according to the * * Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC)**.

The news comes amid a spike of * * Measles * * cases in the city , with 11 cases reported in 2024 as of July 12 , according to the citys health department . That is up from just one case last year , which followed three consecutive years of zero cases being reported . In 2019 , a major outbreak in the city saw 605 cases.

The number of * * Measles * * cases in the U.S. so far this year is nearly three times the total for all of 2023 . A total of 167 * * Measles * * cases have been reported so far this year in the U.S. , with about 53 % of those cases resulting in hospitalization as of July 11 , according to the * * CDC**.

There have also been * * Measles * * and tuberculosis outbreaks at migrant facilities in * * Chicago * * . At least two students who tested positive for * * Measles * * were attending school.

Newly arrived migrants are offered vaccines at a Midtown intake facility , city officials say . Its not clear how many people at the * * Clinton Hill * * facility are vaccinated . * * City Councilmember Crystal Hudson * * , who represents the district where the facility is located , says the city should be doing more to vaccinate the migrants.

"My office has been pushing this administration to provide vaccines to residents at this site for months , only to be rebuffed time and time again , " * * Hudson * * told the * * New York Post * * . " In fact , our request for a vaccination van at an on - site resource fair organized by my office on June 1 was denied . "

**New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan * * says people at the shelter who may have been exposed will be tested to verify if they were vaccinated for * * Measles * * . Those who were not will have to quarantine for three weeks , * * Vasan * * said , according to * * CBS**.