With the disease in wastewater samples in two counties, the health department 'is treating the single case of polio as just the tip of the iceberg of much greater potential spread,' Dr. Mary T. Bassett said.
Polio is highly contagious, with children under 5 at greatest risk, though anyone who is unvaccinated is susceptible.The Rockland County patient was unvaccinated, according to officials.
Based on the patient's strain of the virus, the infection is believed to have been transmitted from someone who had been inoculated with a weakened live vaccine, which is not administered in the United States. In rare instances, people who receive this version of the vaccine, which is given orally, can go on to shed viral particles that can infect unvaccinated individuals.
The wastewater findings announced Thursday included three samples from Rockland County and four from Orange County, all of which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed and found to be genetically linked to the Rockland County case. "These findings provide further evidence of local — not international — transmission of a polio virus that can cause paralysis and potential community spread, underscoring the urgency of every New York adult and child getting immunized," officials
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