Declares a State of Emergency Due to Polio in New York:
On September 9, Governor Kathy Hochul of New York proclaimed a state of emergency due to worries that polio might be spreading throughout the state.
Officials revealed on Friday that the poliovirus has been found in wastewater from several New York counties in recent weeks, suggesting a community spread among unvaccinated persons.
Polio is a condition that can result in death and cause paralysis of the limbs and legs that is brought on by the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) detected the presence of poliovirus in sewage samples that the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) submitted earlier this summer.
State health officials have discovered at least 57 samples throughout many counties in New York using wastewater detection.
There may be hundreds more cases of unreported polio.
EMTs, pharmacists, and midwives among other professions will be able to administer polio vaccinations thanks to the emergency status. Additionally, the state must get information about polio vaccinations from healthcare providers.
Numerous cases of polio may be spreading among unvaccinated New Yorkers, according to officials. Residents in New York City are battling a new public health concern as city officials struggle to meet the demand for monkeypox vaccinations and adapt to the CDC's new COVID-19 standards, according to the Associated Press.
According to a previous remark made by the state's health commissioner, Dr. Mary T. Bassett, hundreds more cases of paralytic polio may go unreported for every one that is discovered. Although disturbing, the discovery of poliovirus in New York City wastewater samples is not unexpected.
At the local, state, and federal levels, the NY State Health Department is "responding swiftly" and "aggressively analysing" the spread of disease, according to Bassett. Where the virus was found in the five boroughs was not specified by health experts.
Polio had not been seen in the United States for almost a decade until recently. Unvaccinated guy in Rockland County experienced paralysis on July 21 as a result of viral exposure.
Authorities and health professionals advocate immunisation.
The poliovirus can be avoided by immunisation and spreads through saliva or faeces. As a result, New York authorities are advising unvaccinated people to receive polio vaccinations as soon as possible, including children.
Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan previously stated that "the risk to New Yorkers is significant but defence is so simple - get immunised against polio."
Nothing is more important than immunising our children against the polio virus while it is still present in our communities. If you are an adult who has not received the vaccine or has received only a portion of it, please make the decision to do so right away. Vasan said that because polio is completely avoidable, its resurgence should serve as a wake-up call for everyone.
young parents should be aware of
Infants as young as six weeks old can receive the polio vaccine. According to Dr. Zachary Hoy, a paediatric infectious disease specialist at Pediatrix Nashville Pediatric Infectious Disease, neonates are effectively protected up to that time by the maternal transmission of antibodies.
"The infant would not be at heightened danger if the mother of the infant had been immunised," Hoy added.
