Symbolic imageNew York declares disaster emergency as US measles cases near 3,900
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency on Monday over spreading measles. The US has nearly 3,900 cases this year, its worst since 1991, according to the CDC.
The declaration on Monday, 5 October, widens who may give measles vaccines and order tests; Telesur lists paramedics, advanced emergency medical personnel, pharmacists and midwives. New York has 108 confirmed cases this year, 101 of them outside New York City, and 92 since 15 July in underimmunized rural communities. The state had 48 cases in all of 2025. Hochul said no one should become seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease.
Pennsylvania's deadly outbreak
Pennsylvania passed 1,000 cases on Monday, with 198 hospitalizations and five deaths. Telesur puts 391 cases in Lancaster County, the hardest-hit area. The Guardian names undervaccination, including among Amish communities in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, as a driving factor.
Clash over Kennedy
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has called Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr "incompetent", and the two clashed over how to classify measles deaths. According to Telesur, the CDC took weeks to list the state's deaths on its dashboard.
Measles-free status in question
According to Telesur, international health officials are due to meet to assess whether the US and Mexico have formally lost their measles-free status.