NYC’s Top Doctor Warns that Half of Migrants Heading to City Are Not Vaxxed for Polio

NYC’s Top Doctor Warns that Half of Migrants Heading to City Are Not Vaxxed for Polio

This summer, we noted that the state of New York reported the first polio case since 2013, and wastewater samples from New York City indicated that genetically similar samples were present in the wastewater.

In the fall, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency as the virus was detected in sewage samples in several New York counties.

Since then, the pathogen disappeared from the wastewater….only to be detected again a few weeks ago.

For the first time since Oct. 2022, the New York State Department of Health confirmed that polio had been detected in local wastewater from Rockland County.

In a Thursday release, the county said that there was a single positive result that had been collected in February, and that so far, no other samples have had any detection of the virus. County officials said that any residents who are unvaccinated should act quickly to best protect themselves.

With increased travel expected between Israel and Rockland County (which has a sizeable Jewish population) during Passover, the county said there is real risk of spread and paralysis for those who are not vaccinated. Israel’s Ministry of Health recently confirmed four children tested positive in the northern portion of the nation. One of the children had paralysis symptoms, while the other three did not show any symptoms.

But Israel isn’t the only country with polio issues. And alarms about this disease and others that people assume have been eradicated or substantially controlled (e.g., tuberculosis, chickenpox) are being sounded.

NYC Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan recently revealed 50% of migrants streaming into the Big Apple are not vaccinated against the contagious polio virus and are bringing in other infectious diseases.

Vasan also said the new migrants come from, or pass through, countries with high rates of infectious tuberculosis — and noted there’ve been outbreaks of chickenpox in shelters housing the newcomers.

“More than 50,000 people have come to New York City (NYC) in the past year shortly after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. As more people arrive and many make NYC their home, the scale and scope of need continues to grow,” Vasan said in an eight-page letter, dated April 11, sent to physicians and other health care providers. A copy was obtained by The Post.

“I am writing now to underscore how critical it is that health care providers take a wide range of considerations into account when working with people who are seeking asylum … The scope of this letter represents the scale of the need. It is incumbent upon us as a welcoming city to comprehensively evaluate and meet these needs.”

Vasan said screening and vaccinating migrants for diseases and viruses that’ve been kept in check in the city is a top priority.

“Vaccination rates for certain diseases are low in some of the most common countries of origin, with rates hovering around 50% for polio as an example,” the commissioner said.

NYC health commissioner warns doctors 50% of the 50,000 illegal migrants who have arrived in the city are unvaccinated for the contagious and potentially deadly poliovirus. Also to check for infectious tuberculosis and chickenpox @nypost https://t.co/4Vqw0kapjc pic.twitter.com/Hz5aaec2rb

— Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) April 16, 2023

I will simply point out that vaccination is not the solution for all disease issues. BCG is currently the only vaccine for tuberculosis (TB), which is not widely used in the United States. It is often given to infants and small children in other countries where the disease is common. However, the BCG vaccine does not always protect people from getting TB.

New York City is not the only city dealing with the return of infectious diseases, nor is the US the only nation dealing with old-time killers revisiting their populations.

Cases of the deadly bug diphtheria have soared in the UK, experts have warned.

The highly contagious bacterial infection, prominent in Victorian times, can cause difficulty breathing, heart problems and even death.

Now, scientists have warned outbreaks seen across the UK over the past year have been “mostly linked to incoming migrants” from Afghanistan.

While serious, it is relatively rare in the UK because babies and children have been routinely vaccinated against the bug since the 1940s.

However, those who are unvaccinated are highly susceptible to the bug, which can also cause nasty ulcers on the skin, if it’s not treated with antibiotics.

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