Advertisement

New York records 1st polio case in over a decade

Click to play video: 'COVID-19 parallels: polio disaster helped shape vaccine safety in 1950s'
COVID-19 parallels: polio disaster helped shape vaccine safety in 1950s
WATCH ABOVE: COVID-19 parallels: polio disaster helped shape vaccine safety in 1950s – Oct 23, 2021

A case of polio has been identified outside New York City and confirmed by federal health officials, the New York State Health Department said on Thursday in what would be the nation’s first known case of the disease in at least 30 years.

Testing suggested the Rockland County case of the highly contagious virus may have originated outside of the United States, the department said in statement.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and working with the New York State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to respond to this emergent public health issue to protect the health and wellbeing of county residents,” Rockland County Health Commissioner Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said in a statement.

The CDC, which confirmed the case, has said no cases of polio have originated in the U.S. since 1979. However, the virus has been brought into the country by travelers with polio. The last time this happened was in 1993, it said.

Story continues below advertisement

Polio symptoms include flu-like symptoms such as a sore throat, fever, tiredness and nausea, the CDC said.

Click to play video: 'NS Woman Shares Her Experience Living with Post-Polio Syndrome'
NS Woman Shares Her Experience Living with Post-Polio Syndrome

Polio invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours. It cannot be cured, but infection can be prevented by vaccination – and a dramatic reduction in cases worldwide in recent decades has been due to intense national and regional immunization campaigns in babies and children.

In the late 1940s before polio vaccines were available, outbreaks of the virus disabled about of 35,000 Americans each year, especially children and those who live in areas where sanitation is poor.

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.

Get weekly health news

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

In June, polio was detected in sewage samples in the London, the first sign since the 1980s that the virus could be spreading in England, but no cases have been found, authorities said.

Advertisement

Sponsored content

AdChoices