Oct 5 (Reuters) – New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a statewide disaster emergency on Monday over a measles outbreak, the first such declaration by a U.S. state since cases began surging in 2025.
The state also expanded the pool of health professionals allowed to administer measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines as cases rise in rural communities.
“No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease,” Hochul said in a statement.
New York has reported 108 measles cases this year through October 3, including 92 since July 15 in under-immunized rural communities across 18 counties, well above typical annual levels, according to the executive order.
Seven of the cases are in New York City and 101 are elsewhere in the state, the governor’s office said. Local health departments have administered more than 1,000 MMR doses in rural areas since July 15.
Neighboring Pennsylvania is battling a fast-spreading outbreak, with 977 cases and five deaths as of October 2, mostly in rural counties that border New York, the order said.
Pennsylvania health officials said on Monday the state’s total had passed 1,000 cases, making it the largest state outbreak in more than three decades.
The US is having its worst year for measles since 1991, with nearly 3,900 cases reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The order allows registered nurses to order tests for suspected measles and pharmacists to vaccinate children as young as two. It also requires all MMR vaccinations to be reported to state or New York City immunization registries within 72 hours, while waiving adults’ consent for such reporting.
Vaccination itself still requires the consent of the patient or a legal guardian. The emergency took effect on Monday and runs through November 4.
(Reporting by Dharna Bafna and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Diti Pujara and Anil D’Silva)
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