New York declares a state of emergency over polio

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency, after poliovirus was found in wastewater from four counties plus New York City.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency on Friday in response to poliovirus, which has been detected since April in wastewater from four counties plus New York City.

Just one case has been confirmed — an unvaccinated man in his 20s who was diagnosed with paralytic polio in Rockland County in July. But one paralytic case is usually a sign of hundreds of additional infections, since only around 1 in 100 polio infections result in serious disease, according to New York's declaration.

Nassau County was the latest to find polio in its wastewater. The poliovirus found in a sample collected there in August was genetically linked to the paralytic case. The viruses found in another 50 samples collected from Rockland, Orange and Sullivan counties share the same genetic link.

State health officials said this is evidence that polio is spreading in these communities.

Polio vaccination rates are low in most of the affected counties: In Orange County, around 58% of children have received three shots before their second birthday. Rockland County has a rate of 60%, and Sullivan County has a rate of 62%. The vaccination rate in Nassau County is similar to the New York state average: around 79%.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/new-york-polio-state-of-emergency-rcna47054

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