The perilous irony of New York's measles outbreak
Long Island has recorded two measles cases so far this year. Credit: AP / Matt Rourke
Seven years ago, more than 1,000 New Yorkers became sick with measles during an extensive outbreak of the once-eradicated disease.
The outbreak was particularly concentrated in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, where residents often opposed or expressed hesitancy regarding vaccinations.
At the time, New York offered a religious exemption to vaccination requirements for children to attend school, an exemption that 26,217 students claimed during the 2017-18 school year. In 2019, in the middle of the outbreak, state lawmakers appropriately banned that religious exemption, leaving only legitimate medical causes as reasons for schoolchildren to avoid immunization.
Now, New York again faces a measles outbreak. This time, it's concentrated in Western New York's more rural areas, predominantly in Amish and Mennonite communities, where, similarly, there's extensive vaccine hesitancy. Ironically, the state also faces a legal challenge from Amish parents, who want to reinstate the religious exemption.
As of last week, the state Health Department recorded 170 measles cases in 2026. There've been two on Long Island.
That's more manageable, compared with what the state endured previously, and with what other states have faced this year; Pennsylvania alone has reported nearly 1,400 measles cases.
But even in that context, New York's measles numbers are still too high, especially for a disease that was once eliminated thanks to the safety and effectiveness of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella. At particular risk when measles spreads: infants and those who are immunocompromised.
New York's caseload likely would be far higher if the religious exemption were still in place. Schools are now safe havens, where the vast majority of kids are vaccinated, diminishing the opportunity for measles and other highly contagious diseases to spread.
For now, state health officials are educating the communities at risk and vaccinating the unvaccinated. But the work they and state lawmakers have done to limit the damage is at risk. It comes at a precarious time for the nation's public health, as vaccine hesitancy and opposition, and the broader battle over what advocates call "medical freedom," have exploded across the country.
New York is at the center of some of those political and legal fights, which, if successful, could undo decades of protection against deadly diseases.
On Long Island, advocates are pushing for a change to federal law, while also organizing around local political candidates who back their cause. That includes Nassau County Executive and GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, who has said he would support restoring the religious exemption.
"We need religious freedom in our country ... and also I think that medical decisions need to be made between the physician and the patient," Blakeman told Wantagh resident Michael Kane, whose organization, Teachers for Choice, opposes vaccine mandates, in an interview posted to social media. "And I think that there has to be overwhelming scientific evidence if you're going to say that everybody has to do the same thing, and that evidence hasn't been produced."
Added Blakeman: "I think the parents should be able to make the choice and decide what they want for their children."
As for the courtroom, Miller v. McDonald is a case that pits Amish families who say New York's lack of a religious exemption violates their religious freedoms against state Health Commissioner James McDonald. The plaintiffs last month petitioned the Supreme Court to take up the case.
A win for them likely would force New York to restore the religious exemption.
The perilous irony of the moment is clear. The ongoing measles outbreak is taking hold in the very communities at the center of that legal dispute. It's Exhibit A illustrating exactly why loosening the restrictions at all is an extraordinarily dangerous idea.
Columnist Randi F. Marshall's opinions are her own.
Randi Marshall is a member of the Newsday editorial board.
