The governor of New York late Friday declared a state of emergency over the growing polio outbreak, after evidence of the virus was detected in wastewater samples from New York City and four surrounding counties —including Rockland and Orange counties, which neighbor New Jersey. The other samples came from Sullivan and most recently Nassau County on Long Island. That one is said to be genetically linked to the original case identified in Rockland, where an adult caught the virus in July and suffered paralysis — the first known infection in the United States in roughly a decade. The state of emergency is being called to boost vaccination rates amid the community spread. Health officials say anyone who is unvaccinated should receive their shots immediately.
NY declares state of emergency over polio outbreak
Evidence of the virus was detected in wastewater samples from some counties that neighbor New Jersey
An Emmy award-winning journalist, Briana Vannozzi serves as the anchor for NJ Spotlight News, the newsroom of NJ PBS. She's worked in several capacities since joining the news division in 2012, as interim anchor and senior correspondent after years of general assignment reporting as a multimedia journalist. Vannozzi began her television journalism career by cutting her teeth on New Jersey State House politics for New Jersey Network News, and later as a news radio correspondent at FM News 101.9 covering crime and politics in New York City. Her work has taken her to national presidential nominating conventions, Capitol Hill, up and down the East Coast and every corner of the Garden State. She's interviewed every New Jersey governor dating back to Jon Corzine and moderated numerous political debates and forums. Her work has also earned awards from the New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists and the Philadelphia Press Association. A Burlington County native, she's honored to be serving and covering her home state and raising her family there.