New York state issues separate advisory for 11 countries

The state health authority warns of "exposure during travel."

Apr 9, 2025 - 19:04

New York state issues separate advisory for 11 countries

While federal travel advisories are issued by the U.S. State Department according to a four-tier system on which the highest level is reserved mainly for war zones, individual states periodically also warn residents about the different risks that can occur when traveling outside the region.

At the start of April, the New York State Department of Health put out a warning about the measles outbreak taking place both domestically out of Texas and in countries such as Canada, Thailand and Vietnam.

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'Measles is more common in different places': New York State

"Measles is more common in different places and exposure during travel is something we need to consider," New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a statement. "It's important that New Yorkers ensure they are up-to-date regarding being immunized against measles in some cases measles is as close as a car ride away."

While measles was declared fully eradicated in the year 2000, an outbreak began last year from parents choosing to eschew the MMR vaccine for their kids. As of mid-April, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) reported more than 500 cases nationwide.

Canadian authorities are currently reporting 607 confirmed cases while countries such as Thailand, Ethiopia and Vietnam also have high case loads. New York's State Department of Health has singled out 11 countries that also include India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Kyrgyzstan, and Romania — New York-based travelers to any of these countries are strongly advised to check their health records on vaccination status and avoid travel to these places if unvaccinated.

"Travelers should plan to be fully vaccinated against measles at least two weeks before departure," the advisory reads while adding that while two doses are recommended even one can protect one against the respiratory disease by 93%.

The Canadian province of Ontario is home to the majority of the country's measles cases.
NurPhoto/Getty Images

Another advisory urges unvaccinated travelers to 'avoid or postpone trip'

Those who do travel are urged to monitor for symptoms like a fever and the telltale rash for three weeks following the trip and, if they appear, isolate from others for four days after their first appearance.

Mexico issued a similar warning for its citizens who may be traveling to Texas and other parts of the U.S. with high case counts in March and April.

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"[If] you are sick or present signs or symptoms, avoid traveling or postpone your trip," the Mexican government advisory reads while urging vaccination above all. Its statistics on existing cases

show that 95% of recorded measles cases had occurred in people who had not been vaccinated or were not aware of their vaccination status.

Last February, a six-year-old child who had not been vaccinated became the first recorded measles death in the U.S. since 2015.

The misinformation around vaccine safety has also become a political battle fueled by the Trump administration as vaccine skeptic and recently-confirmed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. incorrectly stated that such outbreaks were "not unusual" and continues to downplay the outbreak even as it rages through numerous rural communities.

"Measles can be a serious disease," New York Health's Dr. James McDonald said further. "It is not just a rash; it can cause pneumonia, hospitalization and even death."