Governor Kathy Hochul said no one should become seriously ill or die from a disease preventable by vaccination as she declared a statewide measles disaster emergency on Monday. “No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease. That is why I have taken steps to increase the number of health professionals who can vaccinate and test.”
The emergency took effect on Monday and will run through November 4. It is the first statewide disaster emergency declared by a US state since measles cases began rising in 2025.
New York has reported 108 measles cases this year. Of those, 92 have occurred since July 15, largely in under-immunised rural communities across 18 counties.
The number is well above recent levels: New York recorded 48 cases during all of 2025.
Seven of this year’s cases are in New York City, while 101 are elsewhere in the state. Most have been reported in Otsego, Seneca and Steuben counties.
Long Island has recorded one confirmed case this year, involving a young unvaccinated child in Nassau County.
The order broadens the group of health professionals who can administer MMR vaccines. Pharmacists can vaccinate children as young as two, while paramedics, advanced emergency medical services providers and midwives can also give the vaccine. Registered nurses can order tests for suspected measles.
Every MMR vaccination must be reported to state or New York City immunisation registries within 72 hours. Vaccination still requires the consent of the patient or a legal guardian.
Local health departments have administered more than 1,000 MMR doses in rural areas since July 15.
New York’s outbreak comes alongside a larger one in Pennsylvania, where more than 1,000 cases and five deaths have been reported. The Pennsylvania outbreak, the largest state outbreak in more than three decades, is concentrated mainly in rural counties bordering New York.
Across the US, 3,887 measles cases have been reported this year, compared with 2,289 in 2025 and 285 in 2024. It is the country’s worst year for measles since 1991.
Measles was considered eliminated in 2000, when the United States recorded 85 cases. Before the vaccine was licensed in 1962, the country saw more than 481,000 cases nationwide.
The disease is highly contagious and spreads through the respiratory system. It can cause fever and rash, and in severe cases can lead to pneumonia and swelling of the brain.
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