New York emergency order widens measles vaccination authority
Governor Kathy Hochul’s order runs through 4 November as New York reports 108 cases, including 92 since mid-July in rural communities with low vaccination rates.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a disaster emergency over the state’s measles outbreak, temporarily expanding health professionals’ authority to administer measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines. The order remains in effect through 4 November.
New York reported 108 cases by 3 October: seven in New York City and 101 elsewhere in the state. The declaration says 92 cases have been recorded since 15 July in several rural communities with low vaccination rates.
The measure comes as officials in neighbouring Pennsylvania report more than 1,000 cases this year, the largest US outbreak in three decades, according to Al Jazeera’s report. Outbreaks have also been recorded in Texas, Utah, Ohio and South Carolina.
The United States eliminated domestic measles transmission by 2000. Health experts cited in the report say vaccination rates have fallen below the 95 per cent level they consider necessary to prevent outbreaks.
The Pan American Health Organization is due to meet in November to decide whether the United States and Mexico retain their measles-free status. It has previously called for high vaccination coverage, stronger surveillance and timely outbreak response.
