health officials of New York reported on Thursday a case of poliomyelitisthe first in USA in almost a decade. It is an unvaccinated adult, but they did not detail the person’s condition.
It appears the person had a vaccine-derived strain of the virus, perhaps from someone who received a live vaccine, available in other countries but not in the US, and spread it, officials said.
The poliomyelitis it was once one of the most feared diseases in the country, with annual outbreaks causing thousands of cases of paralysis, many of them in children.
Vaccines became available starting in 1955, and a national vaccination campaign reduced the annual number of US cases to less than 100 in the 1960s and less than 10 in the 1970s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Disease Prevention (CDC).
In 1979, polio was declared eliminated in the United States.
In 1979, the poliomyelitis was declared eliminated in the US, meaning it was no longer routinely spreading. On rare occasions, travelers with polio have brought US infections, with the last such case recorded in 2013.
American children are still routinely vaccinated against the poliomyelitis. Federal officials recommend four doses: to be given at 2 months of age; 4 months; at 6 to 18 months; and at the age of 4 to 6 years. Some states require only three doses.
According to the CDC’s most recent childhood immunization data, about 93% of 2-year-olds had received at least three doses of polio vaccine.
Poliomyelitis is transmitted mainly from person to person through contaminated water. It can infect a person’s spinal cord, causing permanent paralysis or disability, and even death. The disease mainly affects children.
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