Bassett said local and federal health officials are aggressively assessing how far polio has spread in the city and in New York state.
Routine vaccinations among children have declined in New York City since 2019, which has increased the risk of outbreaks, according to health officials.About 14% of New York City children ages 6 months to 5 years old have not completed their vaccination series against polio, which means they are not fully protected against the virus.
Overall, 86% of children ages 5 and under in New York City have received three doses of the polio vaccine, according to health officials.New York state health officials confirmed last month that an unvaccinated adult in Rockland County, a suburb of New York City, caught polio and suffered paralysis.