New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency on Monday in response to a surging measles outbreak, recording 108 cases across the state through October 3, 2026. The emergency order expands vaccine administration powers to paramedics, advanced EMS, midwives, and pharmacists, and remains in effect through November 4.
The state has recorded seven cases in New York City and 101 elsewhere in the state, with 92 cases reported since July 15 in under-immunized rural communities across 18 counties. In Lewis County, public health director Ashley Waite stated that all 11 confirmed cases in the county are located in the town of Lowville, affecting unvaccinated children and adults. Local health departments have administered more than 1,000 doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine across rural areas since July 15.
Emergency Measures and Vaccine Expansion
No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease,
Hochul said in a statement, noting that the steps taken increase the number of health professionals who can vaccinate and test. The executive order allows registered nurses to order tests for suspected measles and permits pharmacists to vaccinate children as young as two. The order also requires all MMR vaccinations to be reported to state or New York City immunization registries within 72 hours and waives adults' consent for such reporting, though vaccination itself still requires patient or guardian consent.
Waite noted that the disaster emergency declaration opens up additional resources for state and local health departments to help slow the spread and provide more vaccines. Health officials state that the MMR vaccine is 97 percent effective, and health experts attribute the broader US resurgence to declining vaccination rates below the 95 percent threshold necessary to prevent outbreaks.
US Measles Cases Reach Worst Levels Since 1991
Neighboring Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,000 measles cases this year, marking the largest state outbreak in the US in the last three decades. Outbreaks have also been recorded in Texas, Utah, Ohio, and South Carolina, contributing to the worst year for measles in the United States since 1991.
International officials from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) are scheduled to meet in November to determine whether the United States and Mexico will retain their measles-free status or update their public health designations.
