A federal map shows measles cases recorded across the United States, as New York declares an emergency to strengthen its response to rising infections. New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued an Executive Order on Monday "declaring a State Disaster Emergency in response to the growing number of measles cases across rural areas of New York and neighboring states." New York City has seen seven confirmed cases and 101 in the state outside of the city as of October 3, according to the Governor’s office. It said the cases came amid a wider resurgence of measles cases both in the U.S. and globally.
The highly contagious virus was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000 following the development of the measles vaccine decades earlier. "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 in a Monday press release. "No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease.
That is why I have taken steps to increase the number of health professionals who can vaccinate and test. These emergency measures will protect New Yorkers and support our community partners as they work tirelessly to address the spread of this disease." Hochul’s order "enables the State to respond more swiftly to the outbreak and allows healthcare professionals to take additional steps that will help get more New Yorkers vaccinated and tested, if needed," according to the statement. It also expands the group of health care workers able to administer measles vaccines, including paramedics, advanced EMS providers, pharmacists and midwives.
Newsweek contacted Hochul’s office for additional comment via email on Tuesday and is awaiting a response. A map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that Pennsylvania had the highest number of cases in the U.S. as of October 1, with 963. South Carolina followed with 670, then Utah with 535.
There had been 3,887 cases in the U.S. so far in 2026, according to the data. Of this total, 352, or nine percent, had been hospitalized. The agency also reported two deaths.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health said Monday that 106 new cases had occurred over the preceding seven days, bringing the state’s updated total to more than 1,000 cases. Nearly 200 had been hospitalized and the state had seen five measles-related deaths, according to Pennsylvania’s figures. The discrepancy between state and federal figures stems from a dispute between Governor Josh Shapiro and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.
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