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— From the CDC

An ancient Egyptian tomb painting, displayed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, shows a man with a withered leg unable to bear weight without use of a walking stick. “Polio has been around since ancient times,” says the CDC. “Sustained poliovirus transmission has been eliminated from the United States for approximately 40 years; vaccines are highly effective in preventing paralysis after exposure,” says a CDC report. However, on Sept. 9, Governor Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency for polio after an unvaccinated resident of Rockland County was paralyzed with the disease and genetically related polioviruses were detected in wastewater samples collected in Orange, Rockland, and Sullivan counties.