New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) on Friday declared a state of emergency.
Recall that New York already has states of emergency for COVID-19 and monkeypox.
The Empire State has gone for the trifecta.
Hochul declared a state of emergency for polio.
Hochul’s polio emergency order will expand her state’s vaccination efforts after the virus was detected in wastewater systems.
New York health officials are urging people to get vaccinated against polio, a disabling, paralytic virus that can infect a person’s spinal chord.
Health officials said everyone who is unvaccinated should receive their shots immediately.
They also recommended some New Yorkers should also receive a single, lifetime booster dose.
“Polio immunization is safe and effective – protecting nearly all people against disease who receive the recommended doses. Do not wait to vaccinate,” Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said in a statement.
New York declares 'state of emergency' as polio continues to spread https://t.co/93FWKEndzY
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) September 9, 2022
BREAKING—New York declared a state of emergency over #polio to boost vaccination rates amid evidence that the virus is spreading. Unvaccinated individuals who live, work, go to school or visit NYC metro area are at the highest risk of paralytic disease.https://t.co/lyeodrLRDK
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) September 9, 2022
From CNBC:
Poliovirus has now been detected in sewage samples from four counties in the New York metro area as well as in the city itself. The counties are Rockland, Orange, Sullivan, and the latest, Nassau.
The samples tested positive for poliovirus that can cause paralysis in humans, according to state health officials. Unvaccinated individuals who live, work, go to school or visit Orange, Rockland, Nassau, New York City and Sullivan are at the highest risk of paralytic disease, officials said.New York began wastewater surveillance after an unvaccinated adult caught polio in Rockland County in July and suffered from paralysis, the first known infection in the U.S. in nearly a decade.
The emergency declaration will expand the network of vaccine administrators to include pharmacists, midwives and EMS workers in an effort to boost the immunization rate in areas where it has slipped.
New York Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett called on people who are unvaccinated to get their shots immediately. Individuals and families who are unsure of their vaccination status should contact a health care provider, clinic or the county health department to make sure they are up to date on their shots.
“On polio, we simply cannot roll the dice,” Bassett said.
“I urge New Yorkers to not accept any risk at all. Polio immunization is safe and effective — protecting nearly all people against disease who receive the recommended doses.”
The polio vaccination rate is 60% in Rockland, 58% in Orange, 62% in Sullivan and 79% in Nassau, according to the health department. The statewide average for polio immunization is about 79%.
The goal of the vaccination campaign is to boost immunization rates well above 90% statewide, according to the health department.
The New York Post added:
Hochul’s order comes nearly two months after officials recorded the first — and so far only — case of paralytic polio in Rockland County in July, which was contracted by an unidentified person.
State scientists say that a genetic analysis of the virus sample from Nassau County reveals that it is linked to the initial case in Rockland.
About one-in-every 100 people infected with polio will develop a severe version of the disease that often includes permanent paralysis. The paralysis can be so severe that a person’s lungs are no longer able to function.
For decades, polio was among the most feared diseases in the country because it can cause paralysis — sometimes to the point where a person cannot breath without help.
The horrors of the disease were driven home by images of children lined up in hospital wards, struggling to breathe with the help of iron lungs.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!