New York Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a statewide disaster emergency over a measles outbreak, the first such declaration by a US state since cases of the disease began rising in 2025. The order, which took effect on Monday and runs through November 4, temporarily widens the range of health professionals who can administer the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.
"No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease," Hochul said in a statement. According to the executive order, New York has recorded 108 measles cases this year as of October 3. Seven are in New York City and 101 elsewhere in the state. Ninety-two of the cases have been recorded since July 15, in under-vaccinated rural communities across 18 counties, well above typical annual levels. Local health departments have given more than 1,000 MMR doses in rural areas since that date.
Under the order, registered nurses can order tests for suspected measles, and pharmacists can vaccinate children as young as two. All MMR vaccinations must be reported to state or New York City immunisation registries within 72 hours, with adults' consent waived for that reporting. Vaccination itself still requires the consent of the patient or a legal guardian.
The outbreak is linked to a wider surge. Neighbouring Pennsylvania, whose rural counties border New York, had 977 cases and five deaths as of October 2, according to the order. State officials said on Monday that the total had passed 1,000, making it the largest state outbreak in more than three decades. Outbreaks have also been recorded in Texas, Utah, Ohio and South Carolina. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counts nearly 3,900 cases nationwide, the worst year for measles in the US since 1991.
The US had eliminated the domestic spread of measles by 2000. The last outbreak of more than 1,000 cases, which spread over several years in New York City, came in the early 1990s. Health experts attribute the resurgence to vaccination rates falling below the 95 percent level they say is needed to prevent outbreaks. Critics say the decline has been driven by a growing anti-vaccination movement, which they argue has gained advocates inside President Donald Trump's administration, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
The stakes extend beyond the state. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is due to meet in November to decide whether the US and Mexico keep their measles-elimination status. The organisation has stressed the importance of high and uniform vaccination coverage, stronger surveillance and timely outbreak response to sustain elimination in the Americas.