The executive order will increase the resources available to New York officials attempting to combat the spread of the virus.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency on Friday as the polio virus spreads in New York City and surrounding communities.

The New York Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found polio in wastewater samples from Nassau, Rockland and Sullivan Counties.

The executive order will increase the resources available to New York officials attempting to combat the spread of the virus, which can cause permanent paralysis or death. A broader range of health care providers, including midwives, emergency medical technicians and pharmacists can now administer the vaccine.

“On polio, we simply cannot roll the dice,” New York Health Commissioner Mary Bassett said. “I urge New Yorkers to not accept any risk at all. Polio immunization is safe and effective – protecting nearly all people against disease who receive the recommended doses.”

Polio was once a widely feared illness, disabling more than 35,000 people each year in the 1940s. Following the introduction of the polio vaccine in 1955, the number of cases dramatically dropped in the United States. In recent months, however, there are newfound concerns about the virus spreading in New York.

The vaccination rate in several New York counties falls well below the 90% goal of the New York Department of Health. In Orange County, only 58% of residents are vaccinated. The vaccination rate is 60% in Rockland, 62% in Sullivan and 79% in Nassau.

The first known case of polio in the U.S. in close to a decade was found in New York on July 18. The patient was unvaccinated and experts believe they contracted it through contact with someone who had received the oral polio vaccine, which can sometimes cause transmission of the virus. The oral vaccine is no longer used in the United States.

Source:usnews.com