Why unvaccinated kids are being banned from public spaces.

Rockland County in New York has banned unvaccinated children from public places, in response to 153 a confirmed local cases of measles.

A state of emergency was declared by local officials, who appealed to parents for their co-operation to help stop the spread of the disease.

“This is a public health crisis and it is time to sound the alarm and take the appropriate action,” Rockland county executive Ed Day told a media conference this week.

Day explained that the aim of the ban was to protect the most vulnerable in the community, including, “infants and those with immune compromised systems, including those already suffering from cancer, the elderly and the infirm.”

He added that the ban’s enforcement would be the responsibility of all parents.

“Parents will be held accountable if they are found to be in violation of a state of emergency and the focus of this effort is on the parents of these children,” he said in a lengthy statement at the press conference.

Rockland County shared video of the speech on their Facebook page, where it also explained the legal powers which permitted the ban.

At the conference, Day also expressed concern that parents were relying on false information about vaccinations.

“If you’re going to People magazine and Jenny McCarthy and Robert De Niro for your medical advice, you need to re-evaluate your life,” he said.

Day added that the ban will last for 30 days, and not be monitored by the police, but other consequences for non-compliance was possible.

“If you are found to be in violation of this declaration, your case will be referred to the district attorney’s office.”

The American Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention this year has listed six measles outbreaks, defined as three or more cases, around the United States in 2019 – including in Rockland County.

Australian communicable diseases director Vicky Sheppeard has previously explained symptoms of measles to Mamamia: fever, sore eyes and a cough followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash spreading from the head and neck to the rest of the body. The infection is highly contagious and can spread through coughing or sneezing.

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