By Felicity Flynn
Staff Writer
New York has declared a state of emergency on Sept. 5 after over 100 reported cases of measles since mid-July, while Pennsylvania’s outbreak has now infected at least 1,136 people and caused five deaths, according to Politico.
“Even a mild case of measles can cause permanent blindness, deafness, brain injury, and temporarily weaken the immune system,” according to the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases.
Measles is the most contagious virus known on the planet, and up to 9 of 10 unvaccinated people exposed to the virus will get infected. Each infected person can transmit the virus to 12 to 18 others, so a spiderweb of infection spreads quickly, according to the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases.
“No state can address this on its own, which is why the Governor will partner with anyone who can support our efforts to protect New Yorkers,” wrote Nicolette Simmonds, a spokesperson for Governor Hochul of New York, in a statement to Politico.
The governor also said she will provide a “detailed and specific” request from the federal government including support from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said Pennsylvania doesn’t need to issue an emergency declaration because the state has the money and personnel to bring the outbreak under control without the help of the CDC.
This comes after Shapiro and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got into a dispute over the deaths in late August.
Kennedy accused Shapiro, without evidence, of using the deaths for political gain and suggested that they could be fabricated. Shapiro accused Kennedy of spreading misinformation about vaccines that contributed to the resurgence of measles, according to CNN.
After this argument, Pennsylvania had reported three more deaths related to measles, which were not officially counted by the CDC, which Kennedy oversees, Reuters reported.
The CDC responded, “it was seeking more information.” This changed two weeks ago when one death was finally counted and again last week when a second death was added to the tally, according to The Associated Press News.
Since the outbreak started in April, the Pennsylvania state’s health department staff have administered nearly 6,000 measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations at almost 200 pop-up clinics.
In September of 2026 alone they gave out 56,000 doses of the MMR Vaccine, according to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Official Website.
U.S. measles cases this year have surpassed 4,000, with more than 25% of the nation’s reported infections coming from Pennsylvania, according to recently released data from the CDC.
The Pennsylvania Health Department said both doses of the MMR Vaccine together are 97% effective at preventing measles for life, The Hill reported.
Fewer than one percent of the cases belong to individuals fully vaccinated with the MMR vaccine, ABC reported.
Of the five people who died in Pennsylvania, three of the deaths were among unvaccinated individuals, one being 18 years old. The other two deaths were among infants who were too young to have received the MMR vaccine, according to ABC.
CDC data shows vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years. During the 2025-26 school year, 92.4% of kindergartners received the MMR vaccine. This is lower than the 95.2% seen in the 2019-20 school year, ABC reported.
The Common Health Coalition stated, “A 1% decrease in the childhood MMR vaccination rate could cause 17,000 measles cases, 4,000 hospitalizations and 36 preventable deaths each year.”
According to the National Institute of Health, misinformation about vaccines is the leading contribution to declining vaccination rates.
President Donald Trump has questioned the MMR vaccine, suggesting that its components should be administered separately. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also repeatedly questioned the vaccine's safety, according to BBC.
CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz, however, has continued to explain for the past 12 months that the MMR vaccine is safe and effective for measles, mumps and rubella, according to the New York Times.
“Now is the time for everyone to check their MMR Vaccination status as well as that of loved ones and friends.[...] Encourage your community to do likewise,” according to The National Foundation for Infectious Disease.
