Polio outbreak in New York? Two cases within weeks; last case before this was in 2013
Polio, NYC
In New York City, health officials have raised an alarm after polio causing virus was found in the city's wastewater. On Friday, (August 12) authorities said that this might suggest local transmission of the virus and have urged unvaccinated New Yorkers to get vaccinated.
"Polio can lead to paralysis and even death. We urge unvaccinated New Yorkers to get vaccinated now."
In a statement, the city's health department said, "The NYC Heath Department and the New York State Department of Health have identified poliovirus in sewage in NYC, suggesting local transmission of the virus."
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Officials in the city have announced the opening of vaccination clinics to assist individuals who have not had their immunizations.
Reuters reports that just weeks earlier on July 21, after nearly 10 years, a case of polio was confirmed in an adult in Rockland County. Earlier this month, health officials in the New York City suburb had said before the case was reported the virus was discovered in wastewater there.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the last occurrence of polio in America was in 2013.The only polio vaccination administered in the United States since 2000, according to the agency, is the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). Depending on the patient's age, it is administered through a shot in the arm or leg.
Polio, which can often result in irreversible paralysis, has no known cure, but it can be avoided thanks to the1955 vaccine.
(With inputs from agencies)
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