New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, declared a disaster emergency on Friday and said the state was stepping up its polio-fighting efforts after the virus was detected in the wastewater of yet another county in the New York City area.
Health officials began checking for signs of the virus in sewage water after the first case of polio in the US in nearly a decade was identified in July in Rockland county, close to the city.
“On polio, we simply cannot roll the dice,” the state health commissioner, Mary Bassett, said. “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.”’
The statewide polio vaccination rate is 79%, but the counties of Rockland, Orange and Sullivan had lower rates.
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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...e-of-emergency
