New York Issued Polio Advisory to Healthcare Providers

The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) issued a Polio Letter to Providers yesterday focused on polio vaccinations.

The Health Notification (Notification ID: 109528) sent via email on October 27, 2022, stated: This is an urgent plea... as the most trusted source of medical guidance for your patients and their families, we need your help to make sure that any child who is not vaccinated or up to date with polio immunizations gets all the recommended doses immediately.

This is particularly urgent for providers and patients in Rockland, Orange, and Sullivan Counties (NY), where poliovirus has been detected in wastewater repeatedly.

For questions related to this Polio Letter, please send an email to [email protected].

New York's Governor recently extended Executive Order #21 until November 8, 2022, which expanded the vaccination authorities for certain health providers.

On October 11, 2022, the latest wastewater results include an August sample collected in New York City from Brooklyn (Kings County) and a small, adjacent part of Queens County that is genetically linked to the previous polio case identified in Rockland County.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett and City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan commented, "These findings put an alarming exclamation point on what we have already observed: unvaccinated people are at a real and unnecessary risk."

"We have seen more New Yorkers getting vaccinated."

"But the latest results are a searing reminder that there is no time to waste, especially for young children, who must be brought up to date with vaccinations right away."

"Paralysis changes life forever. Fortunately, the response is simple: get vaccinated against polio."

Additional poliovirus detection news is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Polio.