A case of polio has been found in United States for the first time since 2013
The first case of polio in a decade has been found in New York City.
The first case since 2013 has been confirmed in a Rockland County resident, about 36 miles north of New York City, according to the state and county health authorities.
The patient is no longer contagious, but has developed paralysis, according to the AP. The patient had previously received an oral polio vaccine, which is no longer provided in the United States, according to tests conducted by the state health department’s lab and confirmed by the CDC.
Since the year 2000, the United States has only allowed inactivated polio vaccinations, which use dead germs from the disease. Patients in countries where oral polio immunizations are still provided may have picked up this strain. As of 1979, there have been no incidences of polio in the United States.
People who have not had a polio vaccine are advised to do so by both the New York State Department of Health and the CDC.
Dr. Ashwin Vasan, New York City’s health commissioner, noted that vaccines have been protecting people from both old and new infections for decades. New Yorkers need to get vaccinated against absolutely avoidable viruses like polio because the necessity of safe and effective vaccines has always been here.
A high vaccination rate led to a dramatic decline in polio incidence in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when the vaccine was first released. According to the World Health Organization, there were just 175 cases globally in 2019.
When transmitted orally, through faeces or saliva, this extremely contagious virus can cause devastating damage to the spine and muscles. More than two-thirds of people will not show any symptoms, while approximately one-quarter of people will experience flu-like symptoms, including nausea, fever, and exhaustion.
A spinal infection called meningitis or paralysis (both of which occur in less than 5% of cases) can have life-threatening consequences for those who are affected, according to the CDC.
The New York State Health Department says that symptoms can take up to 30 days to develop in those who have been infected, and can still spread during this period.