00:00Listen to the scientists, the experts, and we put shots in arms and together we conquered the
00:06pandemic and saved countless lives. Much of that work was done because of the incredible, dedicated,
00:14underappreciated by many, the staff here at Wadsworth. And I want to thank them always for
00:20being on the front line during those dark, dark days and the sleepless nights and long,
00:25long months of research and making sure we had supply of our vaccinations, but also what they're
00:30doing now. And I want to thank especially Dr. Leonard Peruski, our director, and I want to
00:35recognize him for leading an incredible team here as well. I'm also joined by Dr. McDonald,
00:41our commissioner of health. I'll be introducing him momentarily, and Catherine Garcia,
00:45head of state operations. We're here today at Wadsworth because since the beginning of the
00:50year, New York has now reported four individual cases of measles. Now, this cannot be classified
00:57as an outbreak. We know how to handle this. We do not have another pandemic on our hands, but
01:03at this early stage, I thought it was important to sound the alarm to provide New Yorkers
01:08information and share our plan for stopping the spread of this disease any further.
01:14First, here are the facts. Like I said, we have four individual cases that we believe are
01:19unrelated, three in New York City, one in Suffolk County. Now, these numbers themselves are not
01:25inherently a cause for concern. And for example, in 2024, we had 15 cases, but nationwide, we're
01:32seeing very concerning trends, 350 measles cases around the country. 81% right now are part of an
01:40outbreak in West Texas. And of those sick in West Texas, three quarters are unvaccinated.
01:49And also of great concern to us as a border state to Canada, there are 350 cases reported since last
01:58fall in Ontario, literally right across the border from our state. So the good news is we're alert,
02:06we're vigilant, we're watching, but also we have the power to stop any outbreak. It rests in our
02:12hands. Now, the measles vaccine is remarkably effective. According to the CDC, two doses of
02:18the MMR vaccine have a 97% effective rate. And this is available to all. Now, children get the shots,
02:26but also if you're not sure if you had a shot when you were a child, you should see your doctor.
02:32Make sure that there's no danger in talking to your doctor about possibly getting immunized once
02:37again. And if you have your vaccination, the overwhelming evidence is that you'll be safe.
02:44It's the only thing to do. It's smart, it's responsible. For young people, the elderly,
02:49the immunocompromised, those are especially vulnerable individuals. So it's also not just
02:54protecting yourself similar to the COVID vaccine, it's about protecting your community. And this is
02:59what the doctor will be speaking about momentarily as well. I know vaccinations have for some reason
03:04become a very divisive topic in recent years. It pains me to think that in the year 2025,
03:11that we're still debating whether vaccinations are safe,
03:15when in fact the scientific evidence is overwhelming.
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