Despite my allergy-induced congestion and mildly itchy eyes (yes, pollen is still quite high), I’ve been LOVING the weather this week. I hope you’ve all had a chance to get outside and enjoy it (and remember to do your tick checks 😉).

For public health news this week, I’m covering a measles exposure at Newark Airport and a local pediatric emergency room, the importance of closing doors for fire safety, and peptides being sold at local NYC medspas. With the seasonal change, I’m taking a break from reporting on respiratory viruses, but you’ll know I’ll be back if anything important comes up. Okay, let’s get to it.

Measles exposure at Newark Airport

New Jersey has reported a possible measles exposure at Newark Airport last week. Anyone who visited these locations during these dates and times may have been exposed:

• Newark Liberty International Airport, Terminal B. April 14, 5:30 AM – 9:00 AM. Monitor for symptoms until May 11th.
• Pediatric Emergency Department, Hackensack University Medical Center, 30 Prospect Ave., Hackensack, NJ, 07601. April 17, 11:15 PM through April 18, 3:15 AM. Monitor for symptoms until May 11th.

Potentially exposed people should contact their health care practitioner if they develop measles symptoms, which usually start like a cold and progress to a rash.

So far, no cases have been identified following these two exposure events. If you do develop symptoms, it’s important to call your doctor or clinic before you visit in person so special precautions can be taken to prevent further spread.

What this means for you:

• The best thing to do is to make sure you and your children are vaccinated.
  • Kids under 6 months old. Not yet eligible for MMR vaccine. If mom was vaccinated, then babies under 6 months should have some protection from immunity passed from mother to baby. This immunity wanes within the first 6 months.
  • Kids 6 months to 1 year. Early vaccination can be considered, especially if there’s upcoming travel planned. However, since this is an isolated case in New Jersey and not an outbreak (which is defined as 3 or more cases), health officials aren’t specifically recommending early vaccination.
  • Kids 1 year and older. Follow the standard MMR vaccine schedule, typically administered at 1 year and again between ages 4 and 6.
  • Adults. If you have not been vaccinated or are unsure of your vaccination status, it’s a good idea to discuss getting a shot with your doctor.

I’ve seen a lot of people asking about titer tests to confirm immunity. While titers measure antibodies in the blood, they do not account for T cell and B cell immunity, which also offer protection. The main reason to get titers would be as a matter of insurance coverage for a booster, as some plans won’t cover the cost unless titers to one of the MMR viruses come back negative. We can’t give medical advice but if you’re concerned about whether or not you are still immune, ask your doctor about getting your titers checked or getting a booster.

To dive deeper, YLE National has a great measles FAQ post.

Building fire codes and violations can mean life or death—here’s how to check yours

Tragically, two people died in a five-alarm fire in the Bronx last week. This week, FDNY investigators said that the outcome could have been different if doors weren’t left open during the fire, allowing it to spread and the stairwell to fill up with smoke, where the two victims were found.

This is not the first time NYC has seen this scenario play out. The January 2022 Twin Parks fire in the Bronx—the deadliest NYC fire in decades, which killed 17 people—was also linked to doors that failed to close, allowing smoke to fill the stairwell of a 19-story building.

I probably learned these lessons when I was in elementary school during fire drills, but nothing sticks like seeing the tragic outcomes play out in real time. The lesson is stark, yet simple: a closed door is a fire barrier. It buys time and saves lives.

What to do:

• Heaven forbid there’s a fire in your building, close every door behind you when evacuating—don’t prop building entrances or stairwell doors. And remember: if your apartment door feels hot, do not open it—seal gaps with towels, go to a window firescape, and signal for help if you need it.
• This week, walk your building’s fire escape route so you know it before you need it.
• If self-closing doors in your building are broken, report it to your super or call 311. (You can also look up previous building violations and complaints here.) Self-closing doors on stairwells are a legal requirement. Doing this prompted me to talk to our super about a stairwell door that wasn’t fully closing.
• Now is also a great time to check your smoke detectors and make sure the batteries still have juice.

This is the kind of risk where preparation genuinely changes outcomes.

NYC Medspas are offering clients experimental peptides that have not been FDA-approved

Peptides are getting a ton of attention right now.

I’ve seen them all over my social media, often promoted by wellness influencers for faster recovery, better skin, and reduced inflammation. But it’s no longer just online. They’re showing up in NYC medspas now, too.

A recent Gothamist report found that Apollo House, a medspa in NYC near Union Square, offers a “peptide stack membership” that includes injections of BPC-157, TB-500, and GHK-Cu. These are marketed for healing, recovery, and anti-aging. But they have never been FDA-approved for these uses, and the human evidence for their injection is limited. Several other medspas offer similar packages.

I’m not going to do a full peptide deep dive here, as YLE National just covered that last week. If you want to understand what peptides are and where they stand with FDA, I recommend starting there.

For New Yorkers, there are a couple of issues at play.

New York has already raised concerns about medspas. A recent investigation found unlicensed medical procedures, sanitation violations, expired or unlabeled products, and other safety issues in medspas across the city. (I covered that here.) When you add on this peptide layer, it gets even murkier. Gothamist reported that the New York state department that oversees compounding pharmacies (special pharmacies that custom-make drugs for patients and often market peptides) has not issued guidance on peptides or where the FDA stands on them. This is concerning when these peptides are being used in medspas in ways that aren’t FDA-approved. This means that New Yorkers are being left to sort through the noise on their own, trying to sort fact from fiction about the safety of peptides.

We’re also hearing of people self-sourcing and injecting peptides from overseas wholesalers or online vendors, marketing them for “research purposes, not for human consumption.” This can be even more concerning because it may happen without clinical oversight or a reliable way to determine what is actually in the purchased vial.

I want to be clear that I don’t mean to fearmonger. Not all peptides are dangerous. Insulin and GLP-1 medications like semaglutide (Ozempic) are peptides with clinical trial data and FDA-approvals for specific use cases. The concern is the growing grey market for unapproved injectable peptides, which leaves purity, dosing, clinical oversight, and potential long-term effects to chance.

What this means for you:

• Do not self-inject peptides sourced online or from overseas vendors. There is no way to verify the purity, dosing, or potential for harmful effects.
• If you are curious about peptides, discuss them with your primary care clinician. It’s better to talk to a clinician who knows your history than someone at a wellness spa who doesn’t have that context. And if you’re already using peptides, it’s a good idea to tell your doctor.
• Watch for updates. I’ll be keeping an eye on the FDA advisory committee meeting in July 2026 and sharing anything I learn.

Bottom line

You’re caught up on New York’s public health news. If there are other topics you’d like to see covered here, please drop me a comment. See you next week!

Love,

Your NY Epi

Dr. Marisa Donnelly, PhD, is an epidemiologist, science communicator, and public health expert. This newsletter exists to translate complex public health data into actionable insights, empowering New Yorkers to make informed and evidence-based health decisions.