New York state declares measles disaster amid resurgence of disease in US

The US had largely eliminated measles by 2000 but has seen several outbreaks amid declining vaccination rates.

A nurse prepares a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine for a patient at a paediatrics clinic in Easley, South Carolina, on March 17 [Mary Conlon/AP Photo]

New York state has declared a disaster emergency over an outbreak of measles, as cases of the disease that had once been all but eliminated in the United States continue to rise .

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Monday that she was temporarily expanding the ability of health professionals to administer measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines.

list 1 of 3 Pennsylvania confirms fifth measles-associated death as US outbreak grows

list 2 of 3 Republican US senator slams Trump vaccine policy amid rising measles deaths

list 3 of 3 WHO chief says Trump vaccine push goes against ‘decades of evidence’

“No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease,” Hochul said in a statement, adding that New York has recorded 108 cases of measles this year, as of October 3. The declaration will remain in effect through November 4.

Hochul’s announcement marks the first such declaration since measles cases began to tick up in 2025. She said that seven cases were recorded in New York City and 101 elsewhere in the state.

Hochul’s declaration says 92 cases have been recorded since July 15 in a handful of rural communities with insufficient vaccination rates.

Officials in neighbouring Pennsylvania also announced that the state has surpassed 1,000 measles cases this year, the largest outbreak in the US in the last three decades. Outbreaks have also been recorded in Texas, Utah, Ohio and South Carolina.

Health experts attribute the resurgence to a decline in vaccination rates below the 95 percent rate they say is necessary to prevent outbreaks.

Critics say the decline has been spurred by an anti-vaccination movement that has surged in popularity and gained advocates inside the administration of President Donald Trump , including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.

The US had eliminated the domestic spread of measles by 2000, with the last outbreak of more than 1,000 cases occurring over several years in New York City in the early 1990s.

International officials from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) are set to meet in November to determine whether the US and Mexico will retain their measles-free status, or whether the public health designations will be updated.

“PAHO reiterates the importance of maintaining high and homogeneous vaccination coverage, strengthening epidemiological surveillance, and ensuring timely outbreak response, as essential pillars to halt transmission and sustain measles elimination in the countries of the Americas,” the organisation said in a previous statement.

美国在 2000 年基本消灭了麻疹，但由于疫苗接种率下降，麻疹疫情已经多次爆发。

3月17日，在南卡罗来纳州伊斯利的一家儿科诊所，一名护士正在为患者准备麻疹、腮腺炎和风疹（MMR）疫苗。[玛丽·康伦/美联社照片]

纽约州已宣布因麻疹疫情进入灾难紧急状态，这种一度在美国几乎被根除的疾病病例持续上升。

纽约州州长凯西·霍楚尔周一表示，她将暂时扩大卫生专业人员接种麻疹-腮腺炎-风疹 (MMR) 疫苗的能力。

宾夕法尼亚州确认第五例麻疹相关死亡病例，美国疫情持续蔓延（列表1/3）

名单之二：美国共和党参议员抨击特朗普疫苗政策，麻疹死亡人数不断上升

世卫组织总干事称特朗普推动疫苗接种的做法违背了“数十年的证据”，这是其中的第三条。

“任何人都不应该因疫苗可预防的疾病而患重病或死亡，”霍楚在一份声明中表示，并补充说，截至10月3日，纽约今年已记录了108例麻疹病例。该声明将持续有效至11月4日。

Hochul的声明是自2025年麻疹病例开始增加以来的首次此类声明。她说，纽约市记录了7例病例，纽约州其他地区记录了101例。

霍楚的声明称，自 7 月 15 日以来，少数几个疫苗接种率不足的农村社区已记录到 92 例病例。

邻近的宾夕法尼亚州官员也宣布，该州今年的麻疹病例已超过1000例，这是美国近30年来规模最大的一次疫情。德克萨斯州、犹他州、俄亥俄州和南卡罗来纳州也出现了疫情。

卫生专家将疫情反弹归咎于疫苗接种率下降到低于95%的水平，他们认为95%的接种率是预防疫情爆发所必需的。

批评人士称，疫苗接种率下降是由于反疫苗运动的兴起，该运动在唐纳德·特朗普总统的政府内部获得了支持者，其中包括卫生与公众服务部部长小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪。

到 2000 年，美国已经消除了麻疹在国内的传播，最后一次爆发麻疹疫情是在 20 世纪 90 年代初的纽约市，持续了几年，病例超过 1000 例。

泛美卫生组织 (PAHO) 的国际官员将于 11 月举行会议，以确定美国和墨西哥是否能保持其无麻疹状态，或者是否需要更新公共卫生认定。

“泛美卫生组织重申，保持高水平且均匀的疫苗接种覆盖率、加强流行病学监测以及确保及时应对疫情，是阻止麻疹传播和在美洲各国持续消除麻疹的重要支柱，”该组织在之前的一份声明中表示。