The New York State Department of Health and Rockland County Department of Health announced a positive case of polio in the county.
America hasn’t had a case since 2013.
Rockland County is about 30 miles north of Manhattan.
The data shows the case likely originated out of the country because the person had the oral polio vaccine (OPV). America stopped using that in 2000:
In this case, sequencing performed by the Wadsworth Center – NYSDOH’s public health laboratory – and confirmed by CDC showed revertant polio Sabin type 2 virus. This is indicative of a transmission chain from an individual who received the oral polio vaccine (OPV), which is no longer authorized or administered in the U.S., where only the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) has been given since 2000. This suggests that the virus may have originated in a location outside of the U.S. where OPV is administered, since revertant strains cannot emerge from inactivated vaccines.”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,” County Executive Ed Day said. “The fact that it is still around decades after the vaccine was created shows you just how relentless it is. Do the right thing for your child and the greater good of your community and have your child vaccinated now.”
Polio vaccines are required for all school-age children.
But if people have not finished the vaccine schedule or never received the vaccine, the Rockland County officials recommended they get one now:
As the polio vaccine continues to be included on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) standard child immunization schedule, those already vaccinated are considered to be at lower risk. Notably, the polio vaccine is part of the required school immunization schedule for all children, and therefore school-age children are vaccinated before they start school. However, individuals who are unvaccinated, including those who are pregnant, those who have not completed their polio vaccine series previously, or community members who are concerned they have might have been exposed, should get vaccinated by Rockland County – who will be hosting local vaccine clinics – or partnering health agencies and providers in the area. Individuals who are already vaccinated but are at risk of exposure should receive a booster.”Based on what we know about this case, and polio in general, the Department of Health strongly recommends that unvaccinated individuals get vaccinated or boosted with the FDA-approved IPV polio vaccine as soon as possible,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said.”The polio vaccine is safe and effective, protecting against this potentially debilitating disease, and it has been part of the backbone of required, routine childhood immunizations recommended by health officials and public health agencies nationwide.”
Polio is a horrible virus. It affects the nervous system, which can mess up your muscles.
It usually enters through the mouth from the hands if they’re infected with fecal matter from an infected person.
However, “[R]respiratory and oral-to-oral transmission through saliva may also occur.”
It’s highly contagious. You can spread it without showing symptoms.
Symptoms can take upon to 30 days to appear. The symptoms mimic the flu: fatigue, fever, headache, muscle pain, and stiffness. It also includes vomiting, which usually does not happen with the flu.
The last natural case of polio in the U.S. happened in 1979. The recent cases are not
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