Polio can cause irreversible paralysis in some cases, but it can be prevented by a vaccine
A research assistant prepares a PCR reaction for polio at a lab at Queens College in New York City. Photograph: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)New York governor Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency on Friday in a bid to accelerate efforts to vaccinate residents against polio after the virus was detected in wastewater samples taken in four counties.
“On polio, we simply cannot roll the dice,” state health commissioner Mary Bassett said in a statement. “If you or your child are unvaccinated or not up to date with vaccinations, the risk of paralytic disease is real.” Officials urged unvaccinated adults and minors as young as two months old to get inoculated against the virus, and advised that vaccinated people receive a lifetime booster dose.