Assembly member Jeffrey Dinowitz, sponsor of the measure in the lower chamber commented, “New York is at the center of the worst measles outbreak in over a quarter of a century. This outbreak has spread because misinformation and irresponsible rhetoric has scared people away from vaccinating their children. We need to end the nonmedical exemptions so preventable diseases will not spread in New York again.”
The United States eliminated measles in 2000 due to the widespread use of MMR vaccine. The current outbreak is linked to travelers who brought measles back from other countries such as Israel, Ukraine and the Philippines where huge measles outbreaks are happening, according to CDC.
The misinformation about measles contributed to the spread of measles in the United States. Anti-vaccination groups are claiming that MMR vaccine cause autism. Scientific studies have proven that their claim is not true.
