Hochul Launches Vaccine Access Portal as Measles Spreads in NY

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday launched a new web portal to support access to vaccine and public health information as measles continues to spread in New York state.

As of March 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a total of 301 confirmed measles cases across 14 states, with the majority of cases occurring in Texas, which reported 279 cases as of Tuesday.

To date, only one person has died from measles — again, in Texas — while one other death is currently under investigation in New Mexico, the CDC said.

So far, New York state has been relatively lucky. It only had four cases — three in New York City and one in Suffolk County on Long Island.

But the governor isn’t taking any chances. On Wednesday, with the state’s Health Commissioner James McDonald at her side, Hochul offered an update on the current measles problem, and unveiled a website through which people can get more information on measles and learn how they can prevent it.

“Now, this cannot be classified as an outbreak. We know how to handle this,” she said. “We do not have another pandemic on our hands, but at this early stage, I thought it was important to sound the alarm to provide New Yorkers information and share our plan for stopping the spread of this disease any further.”

The New York State Department of Health issued a measles health advisory in late February, and state and federal health officials have been encouraging people to vaccinate their children against measles, as well as update their own vaccinations if necessary.

Hochul also pointed New Yorkers and anyone looking for up-to-date information on measles to the state’s website on the illness, ny.gov/measles.

“We’ve had a measles vaccine available since 1963, and the vaccination has been determined to have saved 60 million lives in the last 20 years alone,” she said.

“Let’s go forward together into an era where we actually respect the doctors, and the researchers and scientific advancement, so no child ever has to suffer the effects of a 104-degree fever or the pain of a burning rash. 

“We can make our society free from this, or at least our state. That’s what I’m calling on all New Yorkers to do,” she added.

Hochul noted that the situation in New York was actually worse last year, when 15 cases of measles were confirmed, but she said the numbers in Texas, and in nearby Ontario, Canada, where 350 cases have been reported since last fall, are reasons not to take the current situation lightly.

She also noted that in West Texas, where 81% of the U.S. cases have occurred, more than three-quarters of those who have gotten sick have been unvaccinated.

“The good news is we’re alert, we’re vigilant, we’re watching, but also we have the power to stop any outbreak. It rests in our hands,” she said.

“According to the CDC, two doses of the MMR vaccine have a 97% effective rate, and this is available to all,” she added.

Hochul also blasted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been quoted saying that administering cod liver oil has been an effective method for treating people who are sick with measles. 

She was referring to a recent Fox News interview in which Kennedy asserted that Texas doctors had seen “very, very good results,” after treating measles cases with a steroid, budesonide; an antibiotic called clarithromycin; and cod liver oil, which he said had high levels of vitamin A and vitamin D.

Hochul asked her health commissioner for her assessment of that statement.

“It’s terrible,” McDonald said.

“You heard it from Dr. McDonald, ‘it is terrible,’” Hochul repeated. “That is wrong. Cod liver oil will not protect you from measles. It’s baseless, it’s irresponsible and puts lives at risk. 

“He also said the decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” the governor continued. “A personal decision is: What are you going to do tonight for dinner? What are your weekend plans? What’s for lunch? Those are personal decisions, but when it comes to the overall health of our state and the people we love, it’s much larger than a ‘personal decision.’”

“We cannot go backwards in this time of fear and disinformation,” Hochul said. “It’ll only wreak havoc on our state. So I’m encouraging everyone, let’s go forward together into an era where we actually respect the doctors, and the researchers and scientific advancement.

“If you’ve not been vaccinated, if your child’s not been vaccinated, please step up and get it done,” she said.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue