NEW YORK CITY, New York — New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency following a drastic uptick in cases of Polio within the state.
Health officials in New York say that samples of wastewater from New York City, and surrounding counties, have tested positive for the virus.
Polio was once deemed eradicated in the United States in 1979 due to the advent of vaccines.
The virus caused paralysis and primarily affected children.
State health experts say the rise in cases is linked to low vaccination rates within certain portions of the region.
According to the New York Department of Health, the last time someone was diagnosed with the virus was in 1990. “Many of you may be too young to remember polio, but when I was growing up, this disease struck fear in families, including my own,” County Executive Ed Day said. “The fact that it is still around decades after the vaccine was created shows you just how relentless it is.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Basses released a statement saying, “Based on what we know about this case, and polio in general, the Department of Health strongly recommends that unvaccinated individuals get vaccinated or boosted with the FDA-approved IPV polio vaccine as soon as possible. The polio vaccine is safe and effective, protecting against this potentially debilitating disease, and it has been part of the backbone of required, routine childhood immunizations recommended by health officials and public health agencies nationwide.”