NY Confirms 1st Case Of Polio In U.S. Since 2013

NEW CITY, NY — A confirmed case of polio was announced in a Rockland County resident Thursday — the first such case in New York state since 2013.

County Executive Ed Day and Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert are encouraging residents who are unvaccinated, have not completed the polio vaccination series or are at high risk for contracting polio even if they have completed the primary series to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Day said, when he was growing up, polio struck fear in families, including his own.

"The fact that it is still around decades after the vaccine was created shows you just how relentless it is," he said.

Ruppert said her department is working with the local health care system and community leaders to notify the public and make polio vaccination available.

"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," she said.

The first step in the county's response will be from 10 a.m. to noon Friday when the Department of Health holds a polio vaccination clinic at the Pomona Health Complex, Building A, 50 Sanatorium Rd. in Pomona. A second clinic will be held at the same location from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday.

To pre-register for an appointment, visit here. Walk-ins are welcome. For help making an appointment, call 845-238-1956.

The clinics are for anyone who is unvaccinated, has not completed the polio vaccination series or is at high risk for contract polio even if they've completed the primary series.

Vaccinations are also available through local health care providers including federally qualified health centers.

Due to the success of the vaccine, which was introduced in 195S, and a national vaccination program, polio cases were cut dramatically in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with the last naturally occurring cases of polio in the U.S. in 1979. More recent polio cases were not wild strains, with the last known case in the U.S. recorded by CDC in 2013.

Polio is a viral disease that may affect the neurologic system, causing muscle weakness and, in certain cases, resulting in paralysis or death. Typically, the virus enters the body through the mouth, usually from hands contaminated with the fecal matter of an infected person. Respiratory transmission and oral to oral transmission through saliva may also account for some cases.

Up to 95 percent of people infected with polio have no symptoms, yet they can still spread the virus. About four to five percent of infected people have minor symptoms such as fever, muscle weakness, headache, nausea and vomiting. One to two percent of infected people develop severe muscle pain and stiffness in the neck and back. Less than one percent of polio infections result in paralysis.