New York declares state of emergency over polio

Governor Kathy Hochul issued the month-long disaster declaration in an attempt to bolster vaccination rates

New York officials have declared a state of emergency over polio as the virus was detected in wastewater samples in a fourth county – just two months after the state confirmed the first case on US soil in close to a decade.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Friday that she had issued a month-long disaster declaration for the state in an attempt to bolster vaccination rates against the virus.

The move came just hours after officials in Nassau County confirmed that they had detected positive traces of the poliovirus in its sewage samples. This is now the fourth county where the paralysing virus has been found, joining Rockland, Orange and Sullivan counties as well as New York City – and bolstering concerns that it is spreading across the Empire State.

The state first began investigating the possible presence of polio in wastewater when an unvaccinated adult male contracted the virus back in July and became paraylsed.

The man, from Rockland County, had not travelled internationally during the incubation period, leading officials to the conclusion that he had contracted it on American soil. It’s the first known case of the virus in the US in almost a decade.

So far, the man remains the only confirmed human case of polio in New York.

However, testing has revealed the virus was circulating in the community as far back as April and are urging any unvaccinated residents to take the shot.

Under the emergency order, the governor will be able to boost vaccination efforts across the state, including expanding rollout to include pharmacists, midwives and EMS workers. Healthcare providers will also be required to pass vaccine data to the state.

State Health Commissioner Mary Bassett urged unvaccinated residents to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Polio vaccination rates have fallen in recent years (iStock)

“The polio in New York today is an imminent threat to all adults and children who are unvaccinated or not up to date with their polio immunizations,” she said in a statement. “On polio, we simply cannot roll the dice. If you or your child are unvaccinated or not up to date with vaccinations, the risk of paralytic disease is real.”

With the poliovirus detected in sewage samples from New York City and four counties, officials warned that unvaccinated residents in those areas are at the highest risk.

Polio was declared eliminated in the US back in 1979, following a widespread effort to vaccinate the population against the virus.

Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for polio (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

But, vaccination rates have fallen in recent years, in part driven by the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccine scepticism, the governor’s office said in its announcement.

Now, less than eight in 10 children aged under two in New York state have received the polio vaccine, state figures show.

In several counties, the vaccination rate is even lower, with just 60 percent of residents vaccinated in Rockland County and 58 percent in Orange County.

The emergency declaration will remain in place for a month through to 9 October.