NYC has identified 11 cases of measles

NEW YORK, July 2 (UPI) -- The New York City health department has identified 11 cases of measles and is urging doctors to report promptly any suspected cases, health officials said.

Dr. Jane R. Zucker, assistant commissioner for immunization of the health department, said nearly all the known cases occurred in Brooklyn among children who went unvaccinated, leaving them unprotected against the disease. Measles is not common in New York, but it is highly contagious, Zucker said.

"Children should be vaccinated against measles at one year of age," Zucker said in a statement. "Vaccinating eligible children will protect them and help protect infants who are too young to be vaccinated, by reducing their risk of exposure. Delaying a child's vaccination increases the risk of contracting measles and infecting others."

Measles causes fever, rash, cough, runny nose and red eyes, but as many as one in three children with measles develop complications such as diarrhea, ear infection or pneumonia. Some children have to be hospitalized and some can die.

Younger children, and those with weakened immune systems, are the most likely to suffer severe illness, Zucker said.