New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a statewide disaster emergency on Monday, October 5, 2026, in response to a measles outbreak. The executive order is the first of its kind issued by a U.S. state since cases began surging in 2025.
The declaration follows 108 cases reported in New York through October 3, 2026. According to the governor's office, 92 of those cases were recorded since July 15, primarily in under-immunized rural communities across 18 counties. While seven cases were located in New York City, 101 were reported in other areas of the state.
The emergency order expands the authority of certain medical professionals. Registered nurses are now permitted to order tests for suspected measles, and pharmacists are authorized to vaccinate children as young as two years old. Additionally, all measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccinations must be reported to state or New York City registries within 72 hours, a requirement that now waives adult consent for such reporting.
Parents of children as young as two can now seek vaccinations at pharmacies. While the emergency order waives the requirement for adults to consent to having their vaccination status recorded in government registries, the state clarified that the act of vaccination itself still requires the consent of the patient or a legal guardian. These measures are intended to address the spread as neighboring Pennsylvania reports more than 1,000 cases and five deaths.
The disaster emergency is the first state-level declaration during this surge, which followed a 2025 West Texas outbreak of 762 cases and a South Carolina outbreak of nearly 1,000 cases. The New York order took effect on Monday, October 5, 2026, and is scheduled to remain in effect through November 4, 2026. Health officials in Pennsylvania, which shares a border with New York, confirmed on Monday that their state’s case count has also exceeded 1,000, the highest for that state in over 30 years.