Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency amid “evidence of traffic polio.” The statement will allow more types of providers to dispense the polio vaccine, such as pharmacists, in effect, making it easier to get. It does not mean that there is an outbreak. But this means that if there is an outbreak, the vaccine will prevent any spread. Polio has previously been detected in sewage collected in samples in Rockland, Orange and Sullivan counties and in New York. Strains recovered in wastewater in the previous three counties and in New York were all genetically linked to the state’s only recognized case of polio — a resident of Rockland County. During a press conference Friday, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman stressed that there is no case of polio in the county. “I don’t want to alarm anybody, there are no cases of polio that have been discovered here in this area or in Nassau County,” Blakeman said. “No one should panic, there is no crisis at this time, there is no active case of polio in Nassau County.” The polio clones were detected during routine testing of sewage for various viruses, including the coronavirus. The tests have been routine for the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s been key because what they allow us to do is decide if there’s a spike before people actually develop symptoms and report it to their doctors, so it saves us days in which we can prepare,” Blakeman said. . A trace of the polio virus was found to have originated in the North Shore area that includes Manhasset, Port Washington, Roslyn and Glenwood Landing. The sample was taken at the local sewage facility and sent to the state. It could mean one of two things — either someone recently received an oral vaccine that is not available in the US. Traces of the virus would appear in the sewage. “If we have subsequent tests that continue to be positive, it will give us an idea if this is an ongoing situation or if it was just one test,” said acting Nassau County Health Commissioner Andrew Knect. The other possibility is that someone there has the virus and hasn’t been reported because they are asymptomatic. “About 74 percent of people who have it have no symptoms,” Knecht said. “Well, that’s likely to be the case and people just need to be vigilant about their vaccine status. Because that’s the only way to protect yourself.” The Ministry of Health urges anyone who has not done so to get the polio vaccine. Nassau County officials said they have contacted the state and the CDC to make sure the county has enough vaccine so anyone who hasn’t had it can get it right away. All affected counties have low polio vaccination rates among young children. Among children who received polio vaccines before their second birthday: – Rockland County has a polio vaccination rate of 60.34% -Orange County has a polio vaccination rate of 58.68% – Sullivan County has a polio vaccination rate of 62.33% – Nassau County has a polio vaccination rate of 79.15%, compared to the state average of 78.96%, ABOUT | Polio: What you need to know about signs, symptoms of the virus ———-
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