LI needs a new push against polio

For some, the disease brought a sore throat, a fever, maybe a stiff neck. For others, it resulted in paralysis — or even death. 

There were children on crutches or confined to wheelchairs. Some needed an iron lung to breathe. The threat was real and very serious. Parents were rightly frightened of anywhere anyone gathered — and of a debilitating disease which has no cure and, at the time, no preventive measure.

For those who didn't live through the polio epidemic in the 1950s, this might seem like a danger so remote it resembles fiction. But it was — and sadly still is — very real. Although the polio vaccine introduced in 1954 was a lifesaver that nearly eradicated the disease, polio never was fully eliminated. Now, it's back — in New York and in Nassau County.

The detection of polio in Nassau's wastewater last week is cause for concern. While there are no diagnosed cases on Long Island, the existence of the virus is disturbing. Gov. Kathy Hochul's decision to declare a state of emergency was a necessary step, especially in the effort to expand vaccination. Just 78% of New Yorkers and 79% of Nassau and Suffolk residents are vaccinated against polio, leaving far too many susceptible.

While it's understandable that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman would want to portray an air of calm, initial commentary from county officials downplayed the seriousness of the situation, didn't focus enough on encouraging vaccination, and appeared to conflict with Hochul's emergency declaration by tamping down concern. The message was further muddled by the tangential notion that the existence of the virus in North Hempstead Town wastewater samples could be due to someone who received the oral polio vaccine overseas.

Nassau County should grasp this moment as an opportunity to coordinate with the state and begin a public vaccine campaign to protect its residents. Providing new pop-up spots, mobile vans or other opportunities would be an excellent start. Since July, Rockland County, where the new polio case was discovered, has administered more than 5,000 polio vaccinations, mostly to children. That shows what Nassau can do.

The county's new health commissioner, Irina Gelman, who comes from Orange County, had urged her residents upstate to get vaccinated, and should begin the same push here. She should use her bully pulpit to get the message across quickly 

Meanwhile, Suffolk is awaiting its wastewater test results, though its ability to detect polio is hampered by its limited sewer system. The county is ramping up efforts to encourage vaccination and is organizing a public service messaging campaign targeting unvaccinated adults. That should help.

It bodes well that the state hasn't seen more polio cases beyond the confirmed Rockland County example. But communications and education by state and local officials — with an emphasis on vaccinating the unvaccinated — remain critical so polio can again be relegated to history, rather than be part of today's reality.