Measles outbreak in New York City declared over

A measles outbreak concentrated in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in New York City has officially ended, according to health officials. It had been ongoing since October last year in some of Brooklyn’s neighborhoods and had resulted in 654 cases, the most in the city in 30 years. The end of the outbreak — since two incubation periods have passed without any new infections — also means that an emergency mandate requiring vaccinations will be lifted. Still, NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot urged the city’s residents to get children immunized before the start of the new school year. There are still other parts of New York state that are dealing with measles outbreaks, as is El Paso, Texas. Altogether, 1,234 people have been infected with the disease this year in the U.S.