At least two people staying at a sprawling migrant shelter in New York City have contracted measles and health officials in the Big Apple are working to stop the spread of the disease, according to reports. 

The outbreak took place at a migrant shelter on Hall Street in Clinton Hill, a huge taxpayer-run facility which opened last year. The facility houses around 3,000 migrants.

The two people who tested positive are being quarantined on one floor of the building while dozens more are also being quarantined, according to CBS.

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Measles is a highly contagious and serious airborne disease that can lead to severe complications and even death, especially in children. It is characterized by a fever as high as 105°F and malaise, cough, coryza and conjunctivitis followed by spots and a rash, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The news comes amid a spike of measles cases in the city, with 11 cases reported in 2024 as of July 12, according to the city’s health department. That is up from just one case last year, which followed three consecutive years of zero cases being reported. In 2019, a major outbreak in the city saw 605 cases. 

The number of measles cases in the U.S. so far this year is nearly three times the total for all of 2023. A total of 167 measles cases have been reported so far this year in the U.S., with about 53% of those cases resulting in hospitalization as of July 11, according to the CDC.

There have also been measles and tuberculosis outbreaks at migrant facilities in Chicago. At least two students who tested positive for measles were attending school.

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Newly arrived migrants are offered vaccines at a Midtown intake facility, city officials say. It’s not clear how many people at the Clinton Hill facility are vaccinated. Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor’s office and the city’s health department for comment but did not immediately receive a response. 

City Councilmember Crystal Hudson, who represents the district where the facility is located, says the city should be doing more to vaccinate the migrants.

“My office has been pushing this administration to provide vaccines to residents at this site for months, only to be rebuffed time and time again,” Hudson told the New York Post. “In fact, our request for a vaccination van at an on-site resource fair organized by my office on June 1 was denied.”

New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan says people at the shelter who may have been exposed will be tested to verify if they were vaccinated for measles. Those who were not will have to quarantine for three weeks, Vasan said, according to CBS.

Police patrol outside the migrant shelter in Brooklyn on July 21, 2023, where an outbreak of measles occurred. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

“The Health Department and Health + Hospitals are coordinating to ensure that anyone who’s been exposed gets the support and resources they need,” Vasan told the outlet in a statement, while encouraging people to get vaccinated. 

“While measles may be an extremely contagious virus, the risk to the community is low as most New Yorkers are vaccinated against it. Importantly, measles is preventable. The single best way to prevent measles is to be vaccinated.”

The measles virus under a microscope (BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Officials say the risk of contracting measles is extremely low after getting vaccinated.

• Four poultry workers in Colorado have been diagnosed with bird flu, health officials confirmed Sunday.
• These new cases bring the U.S. total to nine since first human case of the current outbreak was detected in 2022. All illnesses were relatively mild, with common respiratory infection symptoms.
• Health officials say the threat to the public is low. The virus has not spread between people, but scientists are tracking it closely.

Four poultry workers in Colorado have been diagnosed with bird flu, health officials confirmed Sunday.

The new cases bring the U.S. total to nine since the first human case of the current outbreak was detected in 2022, also in a Colorado poultry worker. Eight of the nine were reported this year.

Their illnesses were relatively mild — reddened and irritated eyes and common respiratory infection symptoms like fever, chills, coughing, sore throat and runny nose. None were hospitalized, officials said. The other U.S. cases have also been mild.

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A fifth person with symptoms is undergoing testing, but those results are not back yet, officials said. The workers were culling poultry at a farm in northeast Colorado, according to state health officials. All had direct contact with infected birds.

A bird flu virus has been spreading since 2020 among mammals — including dogs, cats, skunks, bears and even seals and porpoises — in scores of countries. Earlier this year the virus, known as H5N1, was detected in U.S. livestock, and is now circulating in cattle in several states.

Health officials continue to characterize the threat to the general public as low and the virus has not spread between people. But officials are keeping careful watch, because earlier versions of the same virus have been deadly to people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has sent a nine-person team to Colorado to help in the investigation, at the state’s request, CDC officials said.

These cases earlier this year were among dairy farm workers in Michigan, Texas and Colorado.

The virus detected in the four latest cases is least partly identical to the type found in the earlier U.S. cases, but further genetic analysis is underway to make sure it’s exactly the same, officials said.

As of Friday, the H5N1 virus has been confirmed in 152 dairy herds in 12 states, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. Hundreds of commercial poultry flocks in more than 30 states have reported H5N1 or other types of bird flu.

After President Biden’s lackluster debate performance sparked renewed concerns about his mental acuity, both sides of the political spectrum have been clamoring for him to take a cognitive test. 

Biden has not seen a neurologist, but did undergo his annual physical exam in February, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, physician for the president, said in a July 8 statement from the White House.

The doctor reiterated that Biden’s physical exam did not reveal concerns about a neurological disorder.

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In a recent interview with George Stephanopoulos, Biden remained noncommittal about formal cognitive testing, noting, “I have a cognitive test every single day” — meaning by performing his duties as president of the United States.

Many Americans, however, have wanted greater transparency.

“I am writing today to request that you urge President Biden, in the strongest possible terms, to take a cognitive and neurological exam and to share the results with the American people,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wrote to Dr. O’Connor on July 12.

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The United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) states on its website that there is insufficient evidence to recommend screening tests for cognitive impairment in older adults.

The free Medicare annual wellness visit, however, does cover detection of cognitive impairment, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website.

What exactly is a cognitive test? 

Fox News Digital spoke with leading neurologists to determine how cognitive tests work, as well as what they can and can’t identify.

None of the doctors who offered comments have assessed or treated President Biden.

There are three main types of cognitive testing available, experts said. Those include the MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination), the MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), and neuropsychological testing. (iStock)

“Cognitive tests are designed to measure a range of mental functions and abilities, targeting specific areas such as memory, attention and concentration, language and processing speed,” Dr. Fred Cohen, assistant professor of medicine and neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, told Fox News Digital.

These tests are divided into three types: screening tests, mental status examinations and neuropsychological testing.

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“The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and neuropsychological testing are all important tools doctors and neuropsychologists can employ to assess a person’s behavior and thinking ability,” Dr. Michael S. Okun, medical adviser for the Parkinson’s Foundation and director of the Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at University of Florida Health, told Fox News Digital.

The first step is often a screening test, but that does not diagnose any specific disease – it can only suggest the possibility of cognitive impairment, experts say. 

Further testing is needed to identify the underlying cause.

What is dementia?

Dementia describes a group of conditions in which people have an impaired ability to remember, think or make decisions, which disrupts their daily activities, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s website.

There are many types of dementia, but Alzheimer’s disease is the most common.

“Cognitive tests are designed to measure a range of mental functions and abilities, targeting specific areas such as memory, attention and concentration, language and processing speed,” an expert said. (iStock)

“There is rock-solid data that 5% to 8% of folks over the age of 60 will later develop dementia,” Okun said.

This data was partly why Congress passed a law prohibiting commercial pilots from flying after the age of 65, he noted. 

Dementia risk increases with age. By the time people are in their 80s or 90s, the chances are between 10% and 30%, according to Okun.

What is the MMSE?

The MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) is a 30-point questionnaire that assesses various cognitive functions, including memory and orientation.

It can be used to monitor changes over time, Cohen said.

The 11-question test, introduced in 1975, is a quick dementia screen that typically takes about five to 10 minutes to administer, according to experts.

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Some of the questions ask the person to perform specific tasks, like providing the current date and year, subtracting 7 from 100 repeatedly, recalling three unrelated objects after three minutes, and following a three-step command, such as “take a paper in your right hand, fold it in half and put it on the floor,” Cohen said. 

What is the MoCA?

Like the MMSE, the MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) is scored out of 30 points, but takes slightly longer to administer, Cohen said.

It includes tasks such as drawing a clock, naming animals, recalling lists of words or numbers, and making “abstractions” — such as stating “fruit” when given an apple and orange.

Most cognitive tests don’t consider the mood of the individual – so if someone is depressed, that person may score lower, experts warn.

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“Former President Trump has mentioned that he took a cognitive test that included identifying animals, indicating that he was likely given the MoCA,” Cohen said.

People receive points for correct answers on both tests — lower scores indicate greater concern for cognitive deficiency.   

“The MoCA takes about 10 minutes to administer, and it is a little better than the MMSE, especially if your goal is to screen for mild cognitive impairment,” Okun added.

The first step is often a screening test, but that does not diagnose any specific disease – it can only suggest the possibility of cognitive impairment, experts say.  (iStock)

These tests can only reveal what is going on at that moment in time; they cannot determine how someone is functioning in their everyday life, according to experts.

The screening tools may identify potential cognitive issues, but more comprehensive testing is required if a deficiency is suspected, Cohen cautioned.

“The MoCA and MMSE are considered by experts to be broad and shallow tests, and therefore should only be applied for screening and triage,” Okun added.

People can achieve a perfect or near-perfect score on a MoCA or MMSE but still have significant cognitive impairment, he noted.

The tests also don’t consider the mood of the individual – so if someone is depressed, that person may score lower, according to previous research.

Language barriers, physical handicaps or lower levels of education can also affect the results, experts say.

What is neuropsychological testing? 

This type of testing, which takes several hours, is a true comprehensive assessment that can be applied for diagnosis of cognitive disorders, according to Okun. 

A neuropsychologist tailors the test to the individual’s presenting symptoms.

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“Neuropsychologists spend a great deal of time gathering a detailed history that goes well beyond what a general doctor, neurologist or psychiatrist may have time to collect during their usually brief consultation(s),” he added.

The specialist may ask if the person has difficulty searching for words in conversation or uttering the wrong words or sounds within a word.

After President Biden’s lackluster debate performance sparked renewed concerns about his mental acuity, both sides of the political spectrum have clamored for him to take a cognitive test.  (Getty Images; iStock)

Specialists may also ask if someone forgets notable events or repeats the same comment, misplaces items, bumps into things or gets lost in thought.

“Folks should be aware that the MoCA and the MMSE are not a replacement for neuropsychological testing, even if a person achieves perfect or near-perfect scores,” Okun advised.

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He recommends considering this testing when family and friends notice any changes, no matter how small, in their loved one’s behavior or job performance.

Added Okun, “The comprehensive testing will form the basis for a treatment plan and provide a critical baseline performance, which can be used to track disease progression.”