The discovery of poliovirus in more wastewater samples and confirmation of community spread spurred New York Governor Kathy Hochul to declare a state of emergency in order to ramp up vaccination efforts, grace_wade_ reports
New York declared a state of emergency over poliovirus on 9 September. Officials have now detected the virus – which was largely believed to be eradicated in the US – in five counties, including New York City.
“On polio, we simply cannot role the dice,” said Mary Bassett, the New York State Health Commissioner in a on Friday. “If you or your child are unvaccinated or not up to date with vaccinations, the risk of paralytic disease is real.”became the first person in the US to be diagnosed with paralytic polio in nearly a decade. Officials say he contracted the disease from someone who was inoculated with an oral version of the polio vaccine that hasn’t been administered in the US since 2000.
The state of emergency will increase resources for vaccines, including allowing emergency medical service workers, midwives and pharmacists to administer the vaccine. Healthcare providers are also now required to send polio immunisation data to the state’s department of health so officials can determine where to focus vaccine efforts.