New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency amid evidence of circulating poliovirus, a move that will increase the availability of resources including expanding the network of polio vaccine administrators, state health officials said.

Sequence analysis of wastewater surveillance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found poliovirus samples in Nassau County, bringing the total to 5 counties — Rockland County, Orange County, Sullivan County, New York City, and now, Nassau County.

“Bolstering the immunization drive, the E.O. (executive order) immediately expands the network of polio vaccine administrators with the addition of EMS workers, midwives, and pharmacists and authorizes physicians and certified nurse practitioners to issue non-patient specific standing orders for polio vaccines,” the release from DHS said.

One quote says it best: All samples are “samples of concern,” — essentially, types of poliovirus that can cause paralysis in humans. I grew up when summertime was polio epidemic time many places in the GOUSA.

I never want to go back to that!