New York declares a measles emergency at 108 cases
Gov. Hochul widened who can vaccinate and order tests in a state where 92 cases appeared since July in under-vaccinated rural areas.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, signed an executive order on Monday declaring a "state disaster emergency" over the measles outbreak, according to her office's announcement. The text cites growing cases in rural parts of the state and in neighboring states.
The state, which extends well beyond New York City, has recorded 108 measles cases this year as of Oct. 3. Seven are in the city and 101 in the rest of the state. Of those, 92 appeared since July 15 in under-vaccinated rural communities across 18 counties, the same announcement says.
The cases are concentrated in a few places. WXXI counts 20 in Otsego County, 17 in Seneca and 14 in Steuben.
The order changes who can do what. Paramedics, advanced emergency medical providers, pharmacists and midwives can now give the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Nurses can order tests, as physicians already do. Local health departments have already given more than 1,000 doses in the affected rural areas, according to Spectrum News.
Hochul explained the reasoning in a line Spectrum News reports: no one should become seriously ill or die from a disease that vaccines prevent, which is why she widened the pool of workers who can vaccinate and test. State Sen. Gustavo Rivera blamed the rise on a drop in childhood vaccination driven by misinformation.
Measles is also spreading in Mexico. El Mediático reported on Sept. 28 that the country has the second-most cases in the Americas in 2026 (in Spanish), according to the Pan American Health Organization.
One detail is still missing: neither the announcement nor the reports consulted say how long the declaration lasts. The state Health Department keeps a dashboard with the confirmed cases.
