Ms. Harrop asserts that “public officials should stop turning a concern centered on a few under-vaxxed communities into everyone’s problem.” I am a Nurse Practitioner and believe strongly that the health of every person matters, and that includes wanting to protect everyone from potential disease and suffering due to vaccine-preventable diseases. I also strongly support eradicating diseases when possible, and it is possible with polio, if we take it seriously.

New York reported the first case of polio in the US since 1993, per the CDC.  It makes sense then that Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a polio state of emergency for the state of New York. She was not trying to be an alarmist or hinder pandemic recovery, as Ms. Harrop suggests. Instead, the declaration broadened vaccination opportunities for unvaccinated individuals, which comprise six percent of the US population per the CDC. This declaration requires healthcare service providers to send polio immunization data to state health officials, which they can use to focus vaccination efforts. It also expands who can administer the polio vaccine,  increasing access.

Gov. Hochul’s declaration was appropriate as it aimed to increase vaccination. Is polio an imminent threat here? Thankfully, no, because we have access to vaccines. But other places in the world do not, and diseases travel. As long as polio remains a threat anywhere, it can become a threat to the unvaccinated everywhere.  If you or someone you love has not been vaccinated against polio, I ask you to receive this vaccine.  Also, ask your federal lawmakers to fully fund global vaccination programs. With proper resources, at home and abroad, we can launch effective immunization programs, eradicate polio, and not have to worry about it again.

Mike Robinson, Provo