New York has declared a statewide emergency to combat a sharp rise in measles cases, especially in rural communities with low vaccination rates, marking the first such step since infections increased in 2025.
New York has declared a statewide emergency over a measles outbreak, becoming the first US state to take that step since infections began climbing sharply in 2025. Governor Kathy Hochul said the measure was intended to speed the public-health response as cases rose, especially in rural communities with low vaccination rates. Reuters reported that the state also broadened who may give measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, shots, in an effort to raise immunisation coverage more quickly.
State health figures show 108 measles cases in New York as of 3 October, far above the usual annual level. Of those, 92 were recorded since 15 July in under-immunised rural communities spread across 18 counties, while New York City accounted for seven cases and the rest were elsewhere in the state. The New York State Department of Health had already warned in March about the first outside-New York City case of the year, and again in July over possible exposures at hospital emergency departments, underscoring how the virus had been circulating before the emergency declaration.
The order gives registered nurses the authority to order measles testing for suspected cases and allows pharmacists to vaccinate children aged two and older. It also requires MMR vaccinations to be entered into the state immunisation registry within 72 hours. Consent is still required from the patient or, in the case of a child, a legal guardian. According to the state, local health departments have already administered more than 1,000 MMR doses in rural areas since mid-July.
The broader outbreak has not been confined to New York. Pennsylvania, which neighbours the state, reported 977 cases and five deaths as of 2 October, with most cases concentrated in rural counties near the New York border. By 5 October, Pennsylvania’s total had passed 1,000, marking its largest outbreak in more than three decades. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has said the country has recorded nearly 3,900 measles cases so far this year, the highest level since 1991. Hochul said no one should suffer severe illness or die from a vaccine-preventable disease.
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