New York declares disaster emergency over measles outbreak

New York State on Monday declared a statewide disaster emergency over a measles outbreak, the first such declaration by a US state since cases began surging in 2025, reported Xinhua.

New York State governor Kathy Hochul issued an executive order declaring a “State Disaster Emergency” in response to an increase in measles cases across the state.

According to the executive order, 108 cases of measles have been reported among New York State residents this year through Saturday. Of those, 92 were reported since July 15, largely in under-immunised, rural communities in 18 counties.

There have been seven confirmed cases in New York City.

The outbreak comes as measles cases rise across rural areas of New York and neighbouring states. The Pennsylvania department of health announced on Monday that 1,004 measles cases have been confirmed across 39 counties in Pennsylvania so far in 2026, with five confirmed measles-associated deaths.

The order expands the pool of healthcare professionals authorised to administer measles vaccines. The state has launched a “Measles Dashboard” to help the public and health officials track local risks and raise awareness.

The emergency took effect on Monday and runs through Nov 4, according to a release by the New York State government.

As of Oct 1, the United States had reported 3,887 confirmed measles cases in 2026. Of those, 3,869 were reported by 47 jurisdictions, while a total of 18 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States, according to the latest data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The agency recommends two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine as the best protection against measles.

The vaccination coverage among US kindergartners has declined in recent years and fell to 92.4% in the 2025-2026 school year, below the 95% coverage target, with lower coverage in some communities, the CDC said.