MEASLES WATCH: A third case of measles has been detected in New York following rising case numbers nationally and globally. The state discovered the virus in a child under 5 years old living in Suffolk County, the Department of Health confirmed Tuesday. The case, which was detected at the state’s Wadsworth Laboratory, is the first New York measles case discovered outside the city so far this year. The child was treated at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens, part of Northwell Health, where the Health Department has determined that other visitors may have been exposed. The medical center is contacting patients who visited the emergency department and pediatric units during the time of the exposure. The Health Department urges residents to get immunized against the virus, which officials say is the best way to prevent infection.
LAB MOVE: The city is taking steps toward relocating its historic Public Health Laboratory, where much of New York’s infectious disease surveillance takes place, as part of a multi-billion life sciences hub that will be built on its current site in Kips Bay. The city is considering a $6 million, 6-year contract with a vendor for the project: Flatiron-based Interior Move Consultants, a women-owned business that specializes in lab moves, which can be complicated processes involving relocating and reinstalling delicate equipment and sensitive biological material.
