VIDEO: New York Declares Statewide Emergency to 'Confront' Measles Outbreak

A measles outbreak has prompted Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) to declare a state disaster emergency on Monday as cases surge across the United States. Some of the cases, according to Fox News, were spreading from Pennsylvania where the majority of them were in rural communities, the outlet reported Tuesday. Hochul’s executive order “enables the State to respond more swiftly to the outbreak and allows healthcare professionals to take additional steps that will help get more New Yorkers vaccinated and tested, if needed,” her office said Monday. In a statement, the governor said, “After reviewing the latest data on measles cases in New York State, I am declaring a State Disaster Emergency to strengthen our ongoing efforts to confront this disease. No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease. That is why I have taken steps to increase the number of health professionals who can vaccinate and test. These emergency measures will protect New Yorkers and support our community partners as they work tirelessly to address the spread of this disease.” Meanwhile, health officials in Pennsylvania said Monday there have been more than 1,000 measles cases this year, which meant it was the biggest outbreak in the state in over thirty years, the Associated Press (AP) reported: The U.S. is enduring its worst year for measles since 1991, with nearly 3,900 reported cases, according to the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]. The nation has seen eight reported measles-associated deaths in the past two years — more than the combined total of reported deaths over the previous three decades. Since the beginning of last year, large outbreaks have been reported in several states, including Texas and Utah, as well as South Carolina, which had the largest with 997 cases reported. Measles is a contagious illness the symptoms of which include high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, and rashes, per the CDC. “If one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people who come into close contact with that person will become infected if they are not protected,” the agency said, noting that serious complications from the disease in children can result in pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and sometimes death.