Published12 August 2022, 19:49
United StatesPolio virus detected in sewage in New York
State authorities are demanding vaccinations, with nearly 15 percent of children not receiving all doses. A case was detected in mid-July, the first in ten years, north of Manhattan.
This is the first case of polio detected in New York in nearly ten years.
AFP illustration photo
The polio virus was detected in New York City’s sewage, “suggesting the virus is likely circulating locally,” city health officials warned on Friday, urging residents to get vaccinated if they don’t. They are not already. “The detection of the polio virus in New York City wastewater samples is troubling, but not surprising,” said Mary Bassett, a state health official.
In mid-July, a case of polio was recorded in Rockland County, a few tens of kilometers north of Manhattan. It was the first case of polio in the country in nearly a decade. Traces of the virus had by then already been found in the wastewater of this county and another neighboring county.
For each case of the disease identified, “several hundred could go unnoticed,” warns Mary Bassett. Those people who don’t develop symptoms can still pass on the disease. Polio, a highly contagious viral disease that particularly affects children, can cause permanent paralysis of the limbs and in some cases even death.
Free or inexpensive vaccination
“The risk to New Yorkers is real, but defending yourself is so simple: get vaccinated against polio,” said Ashwin Vasan, the city’s health officer. Only 86 percent of New York City children aged 6 months to 5 years received three doses of the vaccine, officials say. A free or low-cost vaccination site has been set up for children.
Experts from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) have been sent to the state to help with screening and vaccination operations. “The consequences of polio are devastating and irreversible and these latest developments are cause for concern,” the CDC wrote.
The disease has been virtually eradicated all over the world. But in June, British authorities announced that they had detected traces of a form of polio at a wastewater treatment plant in north-east London. Children’s vaccination was strengthened there.
(AFP)
