The measles outbreak in New York State has led Governor Hochul to take drastic action.
Hochul has declared a statewide health emergency. In rural parts of the state measles cases have surged as vaccination rates fall.
The declaration broadens the types of practitioners who can administer vaccines … now it will be easier for midwives, pharmacists and other health care workers to vaccinate people.
There have been 108 cases reported in the state this year, the most since 2019 when New York was at the center of a national outbreak. Most of the cases now are in rural areas, especially the Finger Lakes. Declining vaccination rates have resulted in almost 4000 cases reported in the US this year, the most by far in 30 years.