New York declares state of emergency due to polio outbreak: Governor

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency due to a polio outbreak in the state.

"I, Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the Laws of the State of New York, hereby find… that a disaster has occurred in New York State, for which the affected local governments are unable to respond adequately, and I do hereby declare a State disaster emergency for the entire State of New York through October 9, 2022," the executive order read.

According to the order, New York first detected a case of polio in July, but polioviruses had been detected in wastewater samples from April to August 2022. At the time, officials noted that the discovery of poliovirus is alarming and promised to work with local and federal partners to avoid its spread. 

Polio is a highly contagious viral disease with symptoms including fatigue, fever, stiffness, and muscle pain. In rare cases, the disease results in paralysis or death.

In a statement, the New York State Health Department said Friday that the executive order expands the network of polio vaccine administrators to include emergency medical workers, midwives, and pharmacists.

The executive order also requires health care providers to send polio immunization data to state health authorities to help them focus vaccination activities where they are needed most, the Health Department statement added.

"On polio, we simply cannot roll the dice… I urge New Yorkers to not accept any risk at all. Polio immunization is safe and effective," State Health Commissioner Mary Bassett indicated in a statement.

The statement highlighted that New York aims to vaccinate more than 90% of the state residents for polio. The average vaccination rate across the state is approximately 79%.

In early August, health officials in New York issued an urgent call for unvaccinated children and adults to get their shots against polio, citing new evidence of potential "community spread" of the dangerous virus. 

This came after the polio virus was found in seven different wastewater samples in two adjacent counties north of New York City, as per the officials.

The United States had not seen any polio cases since 1979, more than two decades after the availability of vaccines.

All schools in New York require polio vaccines among their students, but enforcing vaccination rules in some areas can be neglected.

Read more: Polio virus reappears in rich economies, exposing gaps in immunization