NEW YORK STATE— The Orange County Health Department has confirmed three cases of measles in neighboring Orange County on May 7, 2025.

Sullivan County Public Health Director Dr. Jessie Moore said, “So, measles is very contagious. However, we do have the tools to keep ourselves safe. So that's something to keep in mind.”

All New Yorkers are urged to protect themselves by making sure they're up to date on their measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines, along with other important, lifesaving immunizations, and to be aware of health advisories when traveling with unvaccinated individuals, especially young children.

These cases make seven in the state this year, amid a global and domestic increase in measles cases. The cases were identified in patients less than 5 years of age who recently traveled internationally and reside in Orange County. Testing has been confirmed at the Department's Wadsworth Laboratory in Albany.

The State Health Department is closely monitoring these cases, in coordination with Orange County Health Department and area health care providers — and have notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The ones that have been identified so far were international travel. They were people who were traveling on vacation and brought this back home, ” Sullivan County Public Health Director Dr. Jessie Moore said about the cause of the Orange County cases identified thus far at the May 8 legislative session.

“The children were under the age of one, meaning that they were not yet old enough to be vaccinated, but they do come from families who do vaccinate. So the parents, the family structure around these children are vaccinated so that really should help us with keeping this and preventing transmission,” explained Moore. She said she sees this as a “silver lining.”

“It’s just something to keep in mind, yes, under the age of 12 [months] we’re not vaccinated yet, and we hope to have this idea of herd immunity—where the individuals around the children are [vaccinated],” Moore said. 

The idea of herd immunity is that enough people are vaccinated and immune to a disease to prevent infection from one person to another. A lack of movement protects those who aren’t immunized. If not enough people are immunized, there is no herd immunity.

Vaccination rates have decreased. Coverage with MMR, DTaP, poliovirus vaccine (polio), and varicella vaccine (VAR) decreased in more than 30 states, compared with coverage the year before, according to the CDC. Overall, decreased vaccination rates threaten the idea of herd immunity. 

Protection among those who are vaccinated can also fade over time. Moore said she was checked two years ago for employment and found out she had no immunity to the mumps. “I had no idea,” she said, “so I went and I got a booster, it was not a difficult process. 

“Having your titer checked is important. You can go to your healthcare provider, ask them to draw blood, they can tell you, do you have the antibodies? Do you have immunity to measles? Because sometimes we don't.” 

Moore added, “We're here to assist people if they're unsure of the process, but we have some wonderful healthcare providers in the community that will be able to assist in making sure we're vaccinated [and] having our titers checked.”

Measles is an extremely contagious viral disease that can lead to serious health complications, particularly in young children and individuals with compromised immune systems,” notes Moore. “Given the proximity of this case, we urge heightened vigilance to prevent potential spread within our community.”

The Sullivan County Department of Public Health will be giving testing kits to local providers, Moore said.

Texas remains the epicenter with the most measles cases, but there are at least 30 other states in the US where the CDC has confirmed measles cases. Measles is vaccine-preventable. For more information, see left and below.