Westchester officials say eight cases of measles have been confirmed in their county. This comes as the number of confirmed measles cases continues to rise in Rockland County, and health officials on Tuesday ordered nearly everyone in a heavily Orthodox Jewish New York City neighborhood to be vaccinated for measles or face fines.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer says of the eight cases, six are siblings. All are children and from northern Westchester, in the Bedford, Mount Kisco area. Latimer says none of the children attend public schools or childcare programs.
“The children who are not vaccinated appear to have been exposed to measles by attending family events in Rockland County and in Brooklyn, where there have been ongoing outbreaks,” Latimer says.
The children range in age from six months to 14 years old. Westchester’s health commissioner says two had to be hospitalized. This comes as Rockland County Executive Ed Day says his health department is finalizing new orders to combat a measles outbreak while a judge put his initial emergency declaration on hold.
