NYC mayor orders mandatory measles vaccinations after Brooklyn outbreak

A vial of the measles, mumps, and rubella virus (MMR) vaccine is pictured at the International Community Health Services clinic in Seattle, Washington, U.S., March 20, 2019. Picture taken March 20, 2019. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency in parts of Brooklyn on Tuesday in response to a measles outbreak, requiring unvaccinated people living in the affected areas to get the vaccine or face fines.

Nearly 300 people have been infected with the highly infectious disease, which can be fatal, compared to only two cases in 2017, de Blasio said at a news conference in Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Bill Berkrot)