New York has declared a state of emergency as sewage samples show the polio virus is spreading across the state. The emergency declaration issued Friday by Gov. Kathy Hotchul expands the polio vaccination network to include emergency workers, midwives and pharmacists. New York officials said vaccination rates are very low in parts of the state — the current statewide average is about 79 percent. “In polio, we just can’t roll the dice,” said Mary Bassett, New York state health commissioner. “If you or your child are unvaccinated or up-to-date on vaccinations, the risk of polio is real. I urge New Yorkers to accept no risk. For every one case of paralytic polio that is seen, there may be hundreds of other people who have become infected”. Officials began monitoring wastewater in the state for polio, which is usually found in the feces of an infected person, to monitor whether the virus is spreading after an unvaccinated man in Rockland County, just north of New York, contracted the virus in July . -the first case reported in the United States since 2013. He also had paralysis. The man was infected by virus shed by someone who received the oral polio vaccine. The oral vaccine is safe, but contains small amounts of weakened live virus that can circulate and become stronger if communities are undervaccinated. In August, New York City officials said they had detected polio in the city’s sewage. On Friday, state health officials announced they had detected polio in 57 samples collected from sewage in neighboring counties between May and August. Fifty of them were genetically linked to the Rockland resident’s case. Polio can cause mild or flu-like symptoms, but the disease can also be disabling and life-threatening. It mainly affects infants and children under 5 years of age, but anyone who has not been vaccinated can become infected. Polio was largely eliminated from the US with vaccinations beginning in 1955. By 1979, the US was declared polio-free. The case from Rockland County has been genetically linked to samples collected from the United Kingdom and Israel, according to the Global Pyelitis Eradication Initiative. Genetic sequencing suggests the virus linked to the New York case has been circulating for a year, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though not necessarily within the US. The state of emergency will remain in effect until October 9. Health officials set a goal of vaccinating 90 percent of residents. Agencies contributed to this story. [email protected]
