Pennsylvania measles outbreak tops 1,000 cases as New York declares emergency

Pennsylvania tops 1,000 cases

Pennsylvania became the first US state in 35 years to record more than 1,000 measles cases in a single outbreak, state health officials confirmed on Monday. The state health department reported 1,004 infections, 198 hospitalizations, and five deaths across 39 counties since transmission began in April west of Philadelphia. Lancaster County has recorded the highest concentration of illness, with 391 confirmed infections among local Amish and Mennonite populations. The highest infection rates have concentrated among adults aged 24 to 49, reflecting vaccination gaps that stretch back decades alongside recent childhood declines. State officials confirmed that fatalities included an 18-year-old, a 40-year-old, and a 20-year-old woman undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia who was unable to receive the vaccine.

New York declares disaster emergency

In response to the expanding regional outbreak, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a statewide disaster emergency on Monday running through November 4. The action is the first such emergency declaration by any US state since measles cases began surging across the country in 2025. The executive order expands immunization authority, permitting paramedics, advanced emergency medical technicians, midwives, and pharmacists treating children as young as two to administer the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The directive also authorizes registered nurses to order diagnostic testing and mandates that all MMR immunizations be logged in state registries within 72 hours, while waiving adult consent for registry reporting. New York has confirmed 108 cases this year through October 3, including 101 outside New York City and 92 across 18 rural counties since July 15.

No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease. That is why I have taken action to increase the number of healthcare professionals who can vaccinate and test. These emergency measures will protect New Yorkers.

Federal clash over mortality data

The crisis has exposed a sharp dispute between Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr over mortality data. Governor Shapiro expanded MMR vaccine access in affected communities while calling Secretary Kennedy incompetent regarding federal handling of the outbreak. Kennedy has publicly questioned whether Pennsylvania's recorded fatalities were directly caused by measles, leaving the CDC official count at two nationwide deaths for the year. Addressing the public earlier in the response, Shapiro stressed that transmission risks apply across all communities regardless of religious or geographic boundaries.

I want every Pennsylvanian to know this: measles does not care about your county, your faith, or your social circle. I urge everyone to take this seriously and to discuss any concerns with their trusted health care provider.

National resurgence and declining coverage

Nationwide cases reached 3,887 as of October 1 according to the CDC, making 2026 the worst year for measles in the United States since 1991. The nation has recorded eight measles-associated deaths over the past two years, exceeding the combined total from the preceding three decades. Large regional outbreaks have emerged across several states, including South Carolina with 997 cases, Utah, Texas, and neighboring Ohio, which has recorded over 200 cases in communities with sizable Amish populations. Although the United States declared measles eliminated in 2000, childhood immunization coverage has fallen below the 95% threshold required to prevent sustained transmission. State Senator Gustavo Rivera attributed the rising case numbers to declining childhood vaccination rates driven by public misinformation.