Update (September 9): New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul declared the state’s polio outbreak to be a disaster today, a move intended to boost vaccination rates and help contain the virus.
New York State and City health departments issued a statement on Friday (August 12) notifying residents that poliovirus—the virus that causes polio—was detected in the New York City’s wastewater, suggesting it is circulating locally.
Though the exact locations of the positive samples have not been disclosed, the New York State Department of Health reports six samples of concern (two in June, and four in July). Poliovirus had already been detected in the wastewater systems of nearby Orange and Rockland counties back in May, reports The New York Times, and its presence in New York City comes three weeks after a confirmed case of polio in a 20-year-old man from Rockland County.
“The detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in New ...
