'Tip Of The Iceberg': More Polio Virus Detected In The Hudson Valley

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Polio is clearly circulating in the Hudson Valley, health officials have discovered.

State health officials said Thursday that three positive samples from Rockland and four from Orange are genetically linked to the individual case of paralytic polio previously identified in a Rockland County resident.

The findings provide further evidence of local — not international — transmission, they said.

"Based on earlier polio outbreaks, New Yorkers should know that for every one case of paralytic polio observed, there may be hundreds of other people infected,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said. “Coupled with the latest wastewater findings, the Department is treating the single case of polio as just the tip of the iceberg of much greater potential spread."

The latest environmental findings do not indicate that the patient identified with polio in Rockland County was the source of the transmission. Investigation into the origin of the virus is ongoing, health officials said.

State, global, national, and local public health authorities said they are also aggressively assessing the spread and working to put prevention measures, particularly immunization clinics, in place, they said.

Orange County issued a public health alert July 30. On Tuesday they said the wastewater samples that contained the genetically-linked polio virus were taken in June and July from the water treatment plant in Middletown and the county-run facility in Harriman.

"There have been no confirmed cases of polio identified to date in Orange County, but virus is circulating in the community," county health officials acknowledged.

Anyone who has not been vaccinated against polio, once the terror of families across the United States and still a global scourge, is at risk.

The childhood immunization rate is even lower in Orange County than in Rockland. Based on data calculated from Aug. 1 by the New York State Immunization Information System, the polio immunization rate in Orange County is 58.68 percent and the rate in Rockland is 60.34 percent.

Statewide, the polio immunization rate is 78.96 percent.

“It is concerning that polio, a disease that has been largely eradicated through vaccination, is now circulating in our community, especially given the low rates of vaccination for this debilitating disease in certain areas of our County,” Orange County Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman said. “I urge all unvaccinated Orange County residents to get vaccinated as soon as medically feasible."

The OCDOH offers vaccines, including the polio vaccine, to uninsured and underinsured Orange County residents at Children’s Immunization clinics at no charge. OCDOH also offers vaccines for adults and individuals who are traveling and in need of specific vaccines for a fee. If you have questions, please call 845-291-2330.

Any providers suspecting polio should immediately contact OCDOH 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 845-291-2330 to expedite testing.

Symptoms of polio, which can be mild and flu-like, can take up to 30 days to appear, during which time an infected individual can be shedding virus to others. Some polio cases can result in paralysis or death. According to the World Health Organization, of those paralyzed, 5-10 percent die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.

SEE ALSO:

• Rockland Polio Strain Matches Virus Samples In London, Jerusalem
• Polio In Rockland: Checking School Vaccination Rates
• Polio Paralyzes Resident, Rockland Clinic Vaccinates 18
• Health Officials Concerned About Polio Vaccination Rates In The HV