The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) announced Thursday it had discovered a confirmed case of polio in Rockland County, the first case in the U.S. since 2013.
The department did not specify the severity of the case or what symptoms were being presented. NYSDOH did say that sequencing confirmed the infection was with the polio Sabin type 2 virus, indicating that the transmission stemmed from an individual who received the oral polio vaccination (OPV), which is no longer authorized or used in the U.S.
A #polio case has been identified in NY State for the first time since 2013. It is NOT wildtype virus — it is #vaccine derived virus. Vigorous surveillance underway.https://t.co/wP1b0w5fZi
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) July 21, 2022
Since 2000, only the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) has been used in the U.S., meaning that the case may have originated outside the country, the NYSDOH said.
“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.”
Rockland County will begin hosting a vaccination clinic Friday. Symptoms of polio can take up to 30 days to appear and are often flu-like in nature. Rarely, serious cases can result in paralysis or death. (RELATED: The CDC Once Pulled A Kids’ Vaccine With Fewer Problems Than The COVID Jab)
Health officials have warned that childhood routine vaccination uptake has dipped during the COVID-19 pandemic due to disruptions in the availability of care as well as an uptick in mistrust of vaccines.