Hochul declares state emergency as New York measles cases reach 108

Order expands who can administer vaccines and order testing

New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s emergency declaration on Monday came in response to a sharp acceleration of measles infections, with 108 confirmed cases reported statewide so far in 2026, compared with a single case in 2023, 15 in 2024, and 48 in 2025. Of the 2026 cases, 101 have been reported outside New York City, the state said, and 92 of them have been identified since July 15 in underimmunized rural communities.

The formal declaration, which Hochul’s office termed a State Disaster Emergency, expands the range of health professionals permitted to administer the measles vaccine and to order testing for the disease. The order is intended to support local partners working to contain transmission in rural areas, where most of the state’s recent cases have been concentrated.

The action is calibrated to a regional outbreak that extends beyond New York’s borders. Pennsylvania, which neighbors New York, surpassed 1,000 measles cases on Monday, with five people dead and 198 hospitalized in what officials there described as the state’s largest outbreak in more than three decades. Ohio has also recorded an increase, and New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio all have sizable Amish populations, which tend to be undervaccinated. Undervaccination has been a driving factor in the spread of measles after high vaccination rates eliminated its continuous domestic transmission in the United States in 2000.

At least 95% of a community must be vaccinated against measles to prevent outbreaks, according to the public health guidance cited in the reporting.

Nationally, the United States is on track for its worst year for measles since 1991, with nearly 3,900 cases recorded, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Federal Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who built his public profile as an anti-vaccine activist before his appointment, has drawn sustained criticism for his response to the outbreak. In mid-September, as case counts climbed, Kennedy headlined an anti-vaccine conference in Washington and told attendees that they had “a strong and steadfast friend at the White House.” Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has called Kennedy “incompetent” and the two men have clashed publicly over how to classify measles-related deaths.

State Senator Gustavo Rivera, who chairs the New York Senate’s health committee, framed the rise as a direct consequence of falling childhood vaccination. “The concerning rise in measles cases is due to a decrease in childhood vaccines driven by misinformation and is causing a public health emergency,” Rivera said.

Hochul, in her declaration, tied the action to the case data. “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. “No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease. That is why I have taken steps to increase the number of health professionals who can vaccinate and test. These emergency measures will protect New Yorkers and support our community partners as they work tirelessly to address the spread of this disease.”