Oct 7 (Reuters) – New York Governor Kathy Hochul spoke with U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday, and he offered federal support as the state responds to a measles outbreak, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Wednesday.
Kennedy connected Hochul with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Erica Schwartz, while federal health officials stand ready to support New York’s outbreak response, HHS said.
Speaking at the Wall Street Journal’s Future of Health conference in Washington on Wednesday, Schwartz said Hochul had contacted Kennedy about the outbreak and that he gave her Schwartz’s contact information. She did not provide further details.
Hochul’s office and the New York State Department of Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
New York declared a statewide disaster emergency over a measles outbreak earlier this week, seeking to expand access to vaccination and contain the spread of the highly contagious disease.
The state reported 108 measles cases through Oct. 3, including 92 cases reported since July 15 in under-immunized rural communities across 18 counties, according to the governor’s office.
Schwartz recommended the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
CDC assistance has become politically charged under Kennedy, who has questioned measles-related deaths reported by states. Pennsylvania, with more than 1,000 cases this year, has resisted seeking CDC help after Kennedy disputed the virus’s role in deaths there in a heated social media exchange with Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro. Texas and Virginia have sought CDC assistance.
(Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru; editing by Caroline Humer and Anil D’Silva)
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