[Photo/VCG]
New York has declared a state of emergency as sewage samples show the poliovirus is spreading across the state.
The emergency declaration issued Friday by Gov. Kathy Hochul expands the net for administering polio vaccines to include emergency medical workers, midwives and pharmacists. New York officials said vaccination rates are too low in some parts of the state; the current state average is 79 percent.
“In polio, we just can’t roll the dice,” said New York State Health Commissioner Mary Bassett. “If you or your child is unvaccinated or up-to-date on vaccines, the risk of paralytic disease is real. I urge New Yorkers not to take any risks. For every case of paralytic polio seen, there may be hundreds of others infected people”.
Officials began monitoring sewage in the state for polio, which is typically found in the feces of an infected person, to track whether the virus is spreading after an unvaccinated man in Rockland County, north of New York City, contracted the virus in July. －the first case reported in the United States since 2013. He also had paralysis.
The man was infected by the virus that had been spread by someone who received the oral polio vaccine. The oral vaccine is safe, but contains small amounts of live, weakened virus that can circulate and become stronger if communities are undervaccinated.
In August, New York City officials said they had identified polio in the city’s sewage. On Friday, state health officials announced they had identified polio in 57 samples of sewage collected in adjacent counties between May and August. Fifty of them were genetically related to the Rockland resident’s case.
Polio can cause mild or flu-like symptoms, but the disease can also be disabling and life-threatening. It mainly affects babies and children under 5 years of age, but anyone who has not been vaccinated can get it.
Polio was eradicated in much of the US by vaccinations beginning in 1955. In 1979, the US was declared polio-free.
The Rockland County case has been genetically linked to samples collected from the United Kingdom and Israel, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Genetic sequencing suggests the virus linked to the New York case has been circulating for a year, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, although not necessarily in the US.
The state of emergency will remain in effect until October 9. Health officials set a goal of vaccinating 90 percent of residents.
Agencies contributed to this story.
aiheping@chinadailyusa.com