Lakewood is a 164-mile ride up the New Jersey Turnpike from Baltimore, but it may be too close for comfort when it comes to guarding ourselves against a measles outbreak in Baltimore and Silver Spring. What are we doing, and what should we do to protect our community?
Dr. Sondra Heiligman, a Baltimore pediatrician, explains the basics of the measles vaccine and the ramifications the current measles outbreak may potentially have, chalila, on our greater local community.
“Boruch Hashem, we have the ability to give immunizations so we can prevent most cases of the measles. The shot is known to give approximately 93% prevention of measles after one dose; after two doses, it is 97%. All day, people call me, asking what they need to do if they are visiting Lakewood. Some parents have asked advice regarding visiting parents if they are taking children who are too young to get their first or second dose of the measles vaccine.
“The first dose of vaccine is usually given after age one, but if a child needs some protection now, they can be immunized between the ages of 6 and 12 months,” says Dr. Heiligman. “However, it will not count as one of the two doses required for school; they will have to get a third dose before school. A child, after the age of one year, who is not old enough to get the second dose, can receive the second dose at least 28 days after the first, and it will count as the full two doses required for school.
“In terms of prevention for school, it is very important that everyone who can possibly be immunized be adequately immunized because there are so many people who cannot be given the shot due to their own problems with immunity. If there were to be a local outbreak of measles, anyone who is not adequately immunized would be excluded from school until 21 days after the last measles case is diagnosed, in order to cover the 21-day incubation period of the virus.
“They have begun to implement this policy in Monsey and Lakewood,” says Dr. Heiligman. “I do feel that it is our job, as pediatricians, to be available to give shots to everyone who needs them, because this is a very important time for us to be catching up on our shots. What concerns me is that measles is considered one of the most contagious infections, and we have holidays coming up where there is a lot of interaction with these other communities. I am concerned that, once people are doing more traveling and there is more mingling between Baltimore/D.C. and New York and New Jersey, we stand the chance of potentially spreading it more. Even under general circumstances, there is a lot of intermingling between the communities. Someone called me up for my medical opinion regarding permitting her child to go to Lakewood for a wedding.
“We are hoping that there will be no spread of the measles to our community, but in case there is, chalila, we need to be prepared. It is very important that we do our hishtadlus and, as Torah teaches us, venishmartem me’od lenafshoseichem. We have to do everything we can to guard our health to prevent problems.”
School Policies
What is the school policy regarding vaccinations of two of Baltimore’s largest schools?
According to Bais Yaakov of Baltimore CEO, Rabbi Zalman Nissel, “Bais Yaakov’s policies regarding vaccinations are very clear. The school takes the matter very seriously for the safety of its students, faculty, and staff. No one is admitted into the school without properly documented vaccinations.”
Talmudical Academy Executive Director Rabbi Yaacov Cohen states, “Currently, all students absolutely must be vaccinated unless they have a medical contraindication to vaccinations. We highly encourage every single parent to vaccinate their children. It is a risk and we take it very seriously in T.A. Baruch Hashem, we have pretty much full compliance at this point with vaccinations and we are pretty proud of that.”
Rabbinical Opinion
Harav Moshe Heinemann adds, “While parents have the right to decide for their children whether it is good or not for them to have vaccinations, in order for the schools to protect the children whose immune systems are compromised (for example, if they are going through chemotherapy), and also to protect the teachers who may be pregnant and may suffer greatly from being exposed to people with measles, we don’t have the right to let unvaccinated children into the schools.
“Regarding going to shul, there is no way to stop an unvaccinated person from going to shul; you don’t have to be registered in a shul to go into it. Everyone is welcome in our shuls; there is no way to control that. If people are worried about being exposed to the measles, I guess it will be their decision whether they want to come to shul or not.
“Some people say these vaccinations cause autism. I know of a family that has 12 children. Of all their children’s children, none of them have autism – except for the children of the one who decided not to vaccinate their children,” concludes Rabbi Heinemann.
Dr. Robert Edelman [see the interview of him in this issue] knows of a family that experienced a similar twist of fate. Adamantly opposed to vaccinations, they decided to move to Israel where it was not required. A month after their arrival in Israel, the Knesset passed a law mandating that children be vaccinated before attending school!
In closing, it is a basic tenet of our lives as Jews that each of us must maximize his or her own health as well as that of our friends, neighbors, and community. The conclusion of experts is that this obligation is best fulfilled through vaccination. But, especially in this season of family and social get-togethers, it is also crucial that we be honest with each other. May we all get through the current measles crisis in good health.
