Login
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday declared a statewide measles emergency, citing rising measles cases in rural areas of New York and neighboring states.
Hochul made the declaration through an Executive Order, which allows her to temporarily suspend or modify laws and ordinances that could hinder actions that health officials determine are necessary to cope with a disaster emergency.
The order relaxes rules about who can order measles tests and administer vaccines, making it easier for a wider group of health professionals — including paramedics, advanced emergency medical service providers, pharmacists and midwives — to administer measles shots.
It also suspends the requirement for adults to consent to have their vaccination status included in a state registry when they get immunized.
“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.”
As of Oct. 3, 108 measles cases had been reported in the state, including 92 cases since mid-July in “under-immunized, rural communities,” according to the governor’s office. New York has a population of about 20 million people.
The order also encouraged people to participate in contact tracing and to get vaccinated against measles and the flu, and announced that the governor received her flu shot.
The order was released alongside an online measles dashboard, which indicated there have been 102 cases as of Tuesday afternoon, slightly fewer than the 108 cited in the order.
The press release announcing the order said the number of cases in 2026 is the highest number since 2019. Statewide, there were 48 confirmed cases last year.
Also Monday, New York joined 15 other states suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over changes made to the childhood vaccine schedule and asking the court to invalidate them.
New York was one of many states that refused to adopt the changes.
The State Disaster Emergency lasts through Nov. 4, the day after the midterm elections.
“With her October 5 executive order, Governor Hochul follows Governor Shapiro of Pennsylvania, jumping on the measles emergency bandwagon,” said Children’s Health Defense CEO Mary Holland.
Holland added:
“Her executive order gives the state broad powers to vaccinate almost anyone with the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, including midwives, despite the fact that the shot is not recommended for newborns and could be extremely dangerous for babies under 1 year of age.
“The order is timed precisely with the state’s election calendar, making the connection to politics transparent. As in COVID, the politicization of public health harms everyone, and especially children.”
Measles debate grows nationally
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has so far this year confirmed 3,887 measles cases in 47 jurisdictions, up from a total of 2,289 cases in 2025.
The CDC recommends two doses of the MMR vaccine, with the first dose at 12 to 15 months old and the second dose between ages 4 and 6.
Hochul’s Executive Order cited Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak as justification, noting that Pennsylvania has been “experiencing a rapidly progressing measles outbreak with 977 cases and five deaths” as of Oct. 2 in rural counties bordering New York.
In the press release, New York state Sen. Gustavo Rivera blamed the rise on “misinformation,” which he said has led to a decrease in childhood vaccination rates.
Rivera’s comments echo those made earlier this year by Gov. Josh Shapiro, who blamed the Pennsylvania outbreak and reported measles deaths there on declining vaccination rates that he linked to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and messaging by public health agencies.
Kennedy countered that the drop in rates happened under the Biden administration. Shapiro and Kennedy also disputed whether the deaths in Pennsylvania could be attributed to the measles virus, secondary infection, or other causes.
Measles outbreaks have been used by many politicians to attack Kennedy and the Trump administration, although the string of outbreaks in the last two years began before the Trump administration came into office.
At a September 2025 U.S. Senate hearing, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock cited the first child measles deaths in two decades, called Kennedy “a hazard to the health of the American people,” and said Trump should fire him if he wouldn’t resign.
Critics have also lambasted Kennedy for saying that measles deaths can be avoided with proper treatment and for raising concerns about adverse events associated with the measles shot.
However, even experts critical of Kennedy concede the outbreaks can’t be tied to declining vaccination rates since Kennedy took office.
The Defender is 100% reader-supported. No corporate sponsors. No paywalls. Our writers and editors rely on you to fund stories like this that mainstream media won’t write. 
This article was funded by critical thinkers like you.
Health officials not providing info on measels treatment, prevention
CHD Chief Scientific Officer Brian Hooker said public health agencies should also inform people of the risks of vaccination and about other prevention methods, but New York state has declined to do so.
Hooker also said the state is not providing adequate information for people who do contract the disease.
“The New York state website is woefully inadequate for any individual who contracts the measles as it provides no information for treatment and prevention outside of vaccinating anything that moves,” he said.
“There are several good established protocols that may limit the severity of the infection and prevent progression to pneumonia, which may occur in about 5% of all cases.”
Hooker said New York health officials provide no information on risks versus benefits of vaccination to help people to make informed decisions.
“A bright, sunny picture is presented about the level of protection offered, but beneath the veneer, the MMR shot has been linked to anaphylaxis and death. Also, the currently available MMRII shot has never been tested for safety.”
A 2023 lawsuit revealed that Merck misrepresented critical data about the mumps component of its MMRII vaccine to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The company compensated for a lack of efficacy by overfilling the mumps component of the vaccine. That overfilled vaccine was not safety tested, according to court documents.
Related articles in The Defender
- Latest Measles Outbreaks a Result of Failed Vaccines — Not Failure to Vaccinate
- Media Panic Over Measles Distracts From Real Threats to Kids’ Health and Safety
- Court Confirms Merck Lied on Mumps Vaccine Label — But Lets Drugmaker Off the Hook in Antitrust Lawsuit
- Texas Health Officials Reject Doctor’s Plea to Recommend Measles Treatment
- Exclusive: Most Kids Can Fight Measles Naturally — and Having the Virus May Even Make Them Stronger
- AAP, Other Medical Groups Want Court to Block New CDC Vaccine Schedule
