Topline
A case of polio has been diagnosed in New York State, health authorities announced Thursday, marking the first time the infectious disease has been detected in the U.S. in nearly a decade.
Key Facts
The case was reported in Rockland County, just north of New York City, according to the New York State Department of Health and the Rockland County Department of Health.
The virus may have originated outside of the U.S., the health authorities said, because sequencing showed the New York case was likely transmitted from someone who received an oral polio vaccine, which has not been administered in the U.S. since 2000.
Because the virus is so contagious, officials are asking healthcare professionals to be “vigilant” and keep an eye out for additional cases, and to encourage people to be vaccinated and receive a booster if they are part of a high-risk group.
Crucial Quote
“Many of you may be too young to remember polio, but when I was growing up, this disease struck fear in families, including my own,” Rockland County Executive Ed Day said in a statement.
Surprising Fact
In 2018, Rockland Country suffered an outbreak of measles, another highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease.
Key Background
Polio was at one time among the most dangerous diseases in the U.S. and caused more than 15,000 cases of paralysis annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control. A vaccine was introduced in 1955 and slashed infections dramatically. Because of widespread vaccination, there is no longer year-round transmission of the virus that causes the disease, according to the CDC. No known polio cases have originated in the U.S. since 1979, but infected travelers have brought the virus into the country since then, most recently in 2013.
Tangent
Disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic contributed to the “largest sustained decline in childhood vaccinations in approximately 30 years,” the United Nations and the World Health Organization warned last week. Last year, 23 million children missed out on basic vaccines that are distributed through routine immunization services. Backsliding on childhood immunizations increases the risk of a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and polio, officials said. Last month, traces of the poliovirus were detected in London wastewater, leading British officials to encourage individuals to make sure their polio vaccinations are up-to-date. Polio was declared eradicated in the U.K. in 2003.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/07/21/first-us-polio-case-in-nearly-a-decade-reported-in-new-york/