New York State declares statewide disaster emergency due to measles outbreak

(New York = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Yeon-sook = The U.S. state of New York declared a statewide disaster emergency on the 5th (local time) in response to the recent rapid spread of measles.

This is the first time a state-level emergency has been declared in the United States since the measles outbreak began in earnest in 2025.

“No one should become seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease,” New York Governor Cathy Hocal said in a statement.

New York State reported a total of 108 confirmed cases of measles as of October 3 this year.

Of these, 92 occurred since July 15 in rural areas with low vaccination rates across 18 counties.

According to the New York State executive order announced today, registered nurses will be able to order tests for patients suspected of having measles. The scope of medical personnel who can administer vaccines, including pharmacists and paramedics, will also be expanded, and the number of people pharmacists can administer the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine will increase to include children aged 2 and older.

In addition, all MMR vaccination details must be reported to the New York State or New York City vaccination registration system within 72 hours.

The situation in nearby areas is even more serious.

According to Reuters, health authorities in Pennsylvania, a state adjacent to New York, announced that the cumulative number of confirmed cases of measles on this day exceeded 1,000, making it the largest state-level outbreak in more than 30 years.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were about 3,900 confirmed cases of measles in the United States as of October 1 this year. This is the most serious measles outbreak since 1991.