Gov. Kathy Hochul said the order will speed testing and vaccination. The state has recorded 108 cases, while the U.S. total reached 3,887.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency on Oct. 5 in response to rising measles cases. The order will allow the state to respond more quickly and accelerate testing and vaccination, she said.
As of Oct. 3, New York had recorded 108 cases, including seven in New York City. Most infections were reported since mid-July. Nationwide, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had counted 3,887 cases as of Oct. 2, the highest number reported in three decades.
The largest outbreak is centered in Pennsylvania. More than 1,000 infections and five deaths had been reported there by Oct. 5. Hochul said no one should become seriously ill or die from a disease that vaccination can prevent.
Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are 97 per cent effective at preventing measles infection, according to the CDC. A Bloomberg report published by The Straits Times also noted that vaccination rates in the United States have fallen below the threshold needed to protect immunocompromised and other vulnerable people in many areas.