The First U.S. Case of Polio Since 2013 Has Been Detected in New York

The virus that destroys nerve cells and attacks the spinal cord has been detected in the U.S.

A Rockland County resident has confirmed the country’s first polio case in nearly a decade in New York.

There hasn’t been a polio case in the U.S. since 2013, and polio hasn’t originated in the U.S. since 1979. However, a resident that received an oral polio vaccine has gotten the virus. Oral polio vaccines are no longer administered in the U.S. The only way to be protected from the virus is to receive an inactivated vaccine, which is a vaccine with dead germs from the disease.

The oral vaccine was most likely given in a foreign country to the patient. The CDC recommends that those not vaccinated against polio get vaccinated immediately.

“Vaccines have protected our health against old and new viruses for decades,” New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said. “The fact is, the urgency of safe and effective vaccines has always been here, and we need New Yorkers to protect themselves against completely preventable viruses like polio.”

According to NPR, the infectious virus can only be spread orally, like through fecal matter or saliva. Around 72% of people infected with the disease have no symptoms, while 25% will get fever-like symptoms.

The patient is no longer contagious but has developed paralysis, a severe and rare effect of polio. Only 0.5% experience paralysis, while 4% experience a spiral infection.