On Mar. 11, 2025, the New York State Department of Health today announced the first case of measles in New York State outside of New York City in 2025, the third case in the state this year, amid a global and domestic increase in measles cases. The case was identified in a patient less than 5 years of age who resides in Suffolk County and was confirmed at the Department’s Wadsworth Laboratory in Albany.

The State Health Department is closely monitoring this case—along with Suffolk County and New York City health officials — and have alerted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All New Yorkers are urged to protect themselves by making sure they’re up to date on important, lifesaving immunizations.

All partners are collaborating with Northwell Health, the parent company of Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens where the patient is being treated, to investigate the case and are taking the necessary proactive steps to prevent the spread of measles.

It has been determined there was potential exposure to measles for the public and persons who visited the pediatric emergency department at Cohen Children’s Medical Center on March 3 to March 4, 2025 or visited an inpatient child on the Medicine 3 unit from March 3 to March 6, 2025.

Measles is a highly contagious, serious respiratory disease that causes rash and fever. In some cases, measles can reduce the immune system’s ability to fight other infections like pneumonia. Serious complications of measles include hospitalization, pneumonia, brain swelling and death. Long-term serious complications can also include subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a brain disease resulting from an earlier measles infection that can lead to permanent brain damage.