The New York governor, Kathy Hochul, declared a state of emergency on Monday in response to a dramatic spike in measles cases in the state.
Hochul’s administration said the emergency declaration was in response to a “growing number of measles cases across rural areas of New York and neighboring states”, including Pennsylvania, which has been grappling with a deadly outbreak that is its largest in more than three decades.
The declaration expands the pool of people who can administer vaccines against measles and allows more individuals to order testing.
It comes as there have been 108 confirmed cases of measles in New York so far for the year, up from just one reported case in 2023. In Pennsylvania, which neighbors New York, five people have died after contracting the disease, and there have been 198 hospitalizations.
The state surpassed 1,000 measles cases on Monday while Ohio has also seen an increase.
New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio have sizable Amish populations, which tend to be undervaccinated. And undervaccination has been a driving factor in measles spreading after its domestic US spread had been eliminated in 2000 by high vaccination rates.
“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.”
The US is experiencing its worst year for measles since 1991, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with nearly 3,900 cases reported.
Of New York’s 108 measles cases, 101 have been reported outside of New York City, the state said. Since 15 July, 92 cases have been reported in underimmunized rural communities.
It is a stark increase from previous years. Beside the one reported case in 2023, there were only 15 in 2024 – and in 2025, there were a total of 48 measles cases.
The Trump administration health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has been criticized for his response to the measles outbreak. Before his appointment as health secretary, he was best known as an anti-vaccine activist.
Kennedy headlined an anti-vaccine conference in Washington DC in mid-September, as measles cases surged. He told the crowd there that they had a “strong and steadfast friend at the White House”.
Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania governor, Josh Shapiro, has called Kennedy “incompetent”, and the two men have clashed over how to classify measles-related deaths.
“The concerning rise in measles cases is due to a decrease in childhood vaccines driven by misinformation and is causing a public health emergency,” said state senator Gustavo Rivera, who chairs the senate’s health committee.
At least 95% of a community must be vaccinated against measles to prevent outbreaks.
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