Why Did New York Declare a State of Emergency Over the Polio Virus? What You Need to Know.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), polio has existed since prehistoric times. It is a highly infectious disease that mostly affects children. The virus affects the nervous system and may cause spinal and respiratory paralysis, and sometimes death. New York City experienced a polio outbreak in 1916 that caused over two thousand deaths. The people who contracted but survived the disease often had lifelong consequences such as deformed limbs and issues with breathing 2.

Now in 2022, New York governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency regarding the polio virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found the polio virus in wastewater in five counties in New York when they were doing testing. Those counties included Rockland, Orange, Sullivan, Nassau, and New York City. The polio virus first started to appear in New York’s wastewater in April 2021.

So far only one case of polio has been confirmed. An unvaccinated male in his twenties was diagnosed in July in Rockland County. People may be wondering why a state of emergency was called if there has only been one case confirmed. According to the New York declaration, one case is a sign of hundreds of additional infections because an estimated 1 in 100 polio infections causes serious disease1. Another reason why a state of emergency was called is that polio vaccination rates are low in Orange County, Rockland County, and Sullivan County. In those counties, only 58% to 62% of children under the age of two years old have received three doses of the polio vaccine. Most American children receive a total of four doses of the polio vaccine between the ages of 6 weeks and 6 years old. By declaring a state of emergency officials are hoping to raise awareness of the issue and get more people vaccinated. Lastly, the state of emergency was put in place to help health officials expand the facilities and health workers who can administer the polio vaccine to help increase availability2.

Per New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett, “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…I urge New Yorkers to not accept any risk at all”2.

Resources

1. NBCUniversal News Group. (2022, September 9). New York declares a state of emergency over polio. NBCNews.com. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/new-york-polio-state-of-emergency-rcna47054
2. World Health Organization. (n.d.). History of polio vaccination. World Health Organization. Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/history-of-vaccination/history-of-polio-vaccination

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