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Twelve days ago, in New York State DOH: Rockland County Reports A Polio Case, we looked at the first domestic case of polio in nearly a decade, involving a resident of Rockland County, which is a suburb of New York City.
Analysis shows this case to be due to a vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV), a rare downside to using the oral polio vaccine (OPV), which has been discontinued in most western countries for the past 20+ years.
This shedding is considered a `good’ side effect, particularly in areas with poor sanitation, as this vaccine-virus can spread in the community for a limited time conveying extra immunity.
But, as the WHO explains, every once in awhile this can go awry.
On rare occasions, if a population is seriously under-immunized, an excreted vaccine-virus can continue to circulate for an extended period of time. The longer it is allowed to survive, the more genetic changes it undergoes. In very rare instances, the vaccine-virus can genetically change into a form that can paralyse – this is what is known as a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV).
Most people in United State are fully protected by the polio vaccine, but there are a some adults who were never fully vaccinated - and quite a few very young children yet to be vaccinated - who are still at risk from the virus.
Public health officials are urging anyone not up-to-date on their polio vaccines to get one now.
Yesterday the State of New York Department of Health updated the polio situation in their state, including news that the polio virus has been detected in environmental samples at wastewater plants in Rockland County.
State Department of Health Updates New Yorkers On Polio In New York StateTo Keep New Yorkers and Children Polio-Free, NYSDOH Urges VaccinationVisit NYSDOH polio webpage here
ALBANY, N.Y. (August 1, 2022) – The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) today updated New Yorkers on polio in New York State. Following the identification of a case of polio in a Rockland County resident, NYSDOH launched wastewater surveillance, among other detection efforts, to check for signs of the virus. Following analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the polio virus was detected in samples from June in Rockland County. These findings underscore the critical importance of vaccination to protect all New Yorkers and New York children against polio.
"Polio is a dangerous disease with potentially devastating consequences," State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said. "In the United States, we are so fortunate to have available the crucial protection offered through polio vaccination, which has safeguarded our country and New Yorkers for over 60 years. Given how quickly polio can spread, now is the time for every adult, parent, and guardian to get themselves and their children vaccinated as soon as possible."
As part of ongoing surveillance efforts, New York wastewater samples are shared with the Global Polio Laboratory Network (GPLN), which includes CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO). GPLN confirmed that the case in New York is genetically linked to two Sabin-like type 2 (SL2) isolates, collected from the early June samples from Rockland County and samples from greater Jerusalem, Israel as well as to the recently-detected VDPV2 from environmental samples in London, UK. New Yorkers should know that this does not imply that the individual case identified in New York has travel history to Israel or the UK.
NYSDOH continues to work with global, national, and local public health authorities—including the Rockland County Department of Health (RCDOH) and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH)—to aggressively assess the spread of the virus and ensure prevention measures, particularly vaccination clinics, are in place – as the best way to keep New York polio-free is to maintain high immunity across the population through vaccination.
All New Yorkers who are unvaccinated, including children 2 months and older, those who are pregnant, and people who have not completed their polio vaccine series previously, should get vaccinated right away. Unvaccinated New Yorkers who live, work, go to school in, or visit Rockland County are at the highest risk of exposure. Rockland County currently has a polio vaccination rate of 60.5% among two year-olds compared to the statewide average of 79.1%.*
Polio is a serious and life-threatening disease. Spread from person-to-person, polio is very contagious, and an individual can transmit the virus even if they aren't sick. Symptoms, 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.
While there is no treatment or cure for polio, it is preventable through safe and effective vaccination. A core component of CDC's standard child immunization schedule and required by NYSDOH for all school-aged children, those already vaccinated are considered to be at lower risk. According to CDC, inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV), which is the only polio vaccine that has been given in the United States since 2000, protects 99% of children who get all the recommended doses.
New Yorkers can learn more about polio and the polio vaccine at health.ny.gov/polio
About New York State Polio Vaccination Rates
*Based on data calculated from July 1, 2022 from the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS), polio vaccination rates include all New York counties, with the exception of New York City. The rate is calculated based on data of children 2 years of age that have received 3 polio immunizations, reported their residency as the State of New York, provided their New York State county of residence, and have at least one immunization or have an upstate New York State birth record. As of January 8, 2008, all healthcare providers in New York State are required to report all immunizations administered to people less than 19 years of age, along with the person's immunization histories, to NYSDOH using NYSIIS. Age and immunization status were calculated as of July 1, as healthcare providers have 14 days to enter data into NYSIIS. New York City maintains their own non-COVID-19 immunization records through the Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR).
