Baby in intensive care
Baby in intensive careiStock

New York's largest measles outbreak in decades was caused by haredi refusal to vaccinate, a JAMA Pediatrics report said.

The 2013 outbreak began when a haredi teenager visiting London returned home carrying the nearly-extinct virus, which spread in Boro Park and then to Williamsburg.

The virus infected 58 people between March-June 2013, 45 of whom had not been vaccinated due to "parental refusal or intentional delay."

Another 12 of the patients were under a year old - too young to have received the vaccination. One infected woman miscarried at 38 weeks after being infected with the disease.

The JAMA reported noted that, "Orthodox Jewish persons accounted for 100 percent of the case patients."

According to WNYC, report co-author Dr. Jane Zucker credited the relatively small scope of the outbreak to overall vaccination rates, noting that over 3,000 were exposed to the virus. She also emphasized that "over 90% of people who are not immune will get infected when they are exposed."