New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency on Friday as another county confirmed the presence of the polio virus in wastewater samples.
The governor’s declaration followed the announcement that wastewater tests in Long Island”™s Nassau County turned up positive traces of the polio virus. This follows the discovery of the virus in the wastewater samples of Rockland, Orange and Sullivan counties and New York City. In July, an unvaccinated Rockland County man was hospitalized after developing the symptoms from polio.
“On polio, we simply cannot roll the dice,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said Friday. “If you or your child are unvaccinated or not up to date with vaccinations, the risk of paralytic disease is real. 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.”
