Measles continues to spread in America, and New York is now taking emergency action against it.
On Monday, Governor Kathy Hochul issued an executive order declaring a state disaster emergency over growing measles cases in the state. There have been more than 100 cases reported in New York this year, along with over 1,000 cases in the neighboring state of Pennsylvania. The order, among other things, will now allow pharmacists and other authorities to provide measles vaccination.
“After reviewing the latest data on measles cases in New York State, I am declaring a State Disaster Emergency to strengthen our ongoing efforts to confront this disease,” Hochul said in a statement announcing the decision. “No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease.”
Measles resurgent
There have been nearly 3,900 reported cases of measles across 47 states and other jurisdictions in the U.S. this year, as of October 1st, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Roughly 95% of these cases occurred in unvaccinated people. This year’s tally is significantly worse than it was in 2025, which already saw the most cases reported stateside in 30 years.
Vaccination, provided through the combination of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, is highly effective at preventing measles. But the disease is so contagious that a high vaccination rate (95%) is needed to maintain herd immunity in a population, meaning it can’t spread easily among unvaccinated people (including children too young to have gotten their shots yet).
Most cases in the U.S. this year have come from sustained local outbreaks of the viral disease, with 42 separate outbreaks documented in 2026. In New York, there have been a total of 108 measles cases so far this year. The vast majority (92) have happened since July 15th among under-immunized, rural communities across 18 counties, according to state officials.
Local health departments have already administered over 1,000 doses of the MMR vaccine in these rural communities. Hochul’s order, however, will deputize paramedics, pharmacists, advanced EMS providers, certified midwives, and other health care professionals to provide MMR vaccination as well. It will also allow nurses to order measles testing.
“These emergency measures will protect New Yorkers and support our community partners as they work tirelessly to address the spread of this disease.”
Not the worst state for measles
New York is far from the worst-off state this year when it comes to measles. On Monday, health officials in Pennsylvania announced that the state has officially surpassed 1,000 cases. This outbreak is now the largest the state has seen in more than three decades. There have also been at least five measles-associated deaths in the state, though the CDC has so far only officially acknowledged two.
After two years of sustained measles outbreaks in the country, it’s almost certain the U.S. will soon lose its official measles-free status—more than a quarter century after the disease was declared locally eliminated. And right now, there’s no telling how long it will take to earn that status back.
