Governor Kathy Hochul declared a statewide disaster emergency effective 5 October after 108 measles cases in New York this year, 92 of them since mid-July in under-immunized rural communities.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency on 5 October in response to a measles outbreak, with Executive Order No. 65 in effect statewide until 4 November 2026.
As of 3 October, New York had recorded 108 measles cases among residents in 2026, including seven in New York City and 101 elsewhere in the state. Ninety-two cases since 15 July were in under-immunized rural communities across 18 counties, the governor’s office and the order said.
The order also cited a neighboring outbreak in Pennsylvania: 977 cases and five deaths as of 2 October in rural counties bordering New York. The state said measles complications can include pneumonia, encephalitis and, rarely, death, and that the MMR vaccine is the reliable prevention.
The emergency expands who may administer vaccine and testing, adding paramedics, advanced EMS providers, midwives and pharmacists, and gives nurses more flexibility to order tests. Hochul said no one should become seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease.
The order finds that affected local governments cannot respond adequately on their own and directs state support for vaccination and testing. It remains in force through 4 November unless modified.
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- Hochul said no one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease and that the order is meant to speed vaccination and testing.