Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a statewide health emergency in New York State on Monday as measles cases increased dangerously across rural counties where vaccination rates have lagged. As of Saturday, 108 measles cases had been reported across the state this year, the most since 2019, when New York was the epicenter of a national outbreak. Most of the cases are in rural areas, concentrated in the Finger Lakes region. Ms. Hochul’s declaration will relax rules about who can administer vaccines to make it easier for midwives, pharmacists and other health care workers to give shots to prevent measles.
The United States is experiencing a resurgence in measles, driven by declining vaccination rates, with case counts soaring in 2026. Across the nation, 3,887 cases have been recorded this year, by far the highest in more than 30 years. South Carolina and Utah have been especially hard hit, along with Pennsylvania, which has had more than 1,000 cases and five deaths, state officials say. The virus has torn through Amish communities where vaccination rates are especially low. Three counties, including Seneca and Steuben, both in the Finger Lakes, account for about half of New York’s measles cases. Otsego County, best known for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, has had 20 cases this year, the most of any county. New York City has registered seven cases this year, which is not an unusually high number. No one has died from measles this year in New York State, the state Health Department said.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing