New York City health officials say the polio virus has been detected in the city's sewage, another sign the disease is spreading in the city among unvaccinated people.
"For every one case of paralytic polio identified, hundreds more may be undetected," the state's health commissioner, Dr. Mary T. Bassett, said in a statement Friday. "The detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in New York City is alarming, but not surprising.
"Already, the State Health Department — working with local and federal partners — is responding urgently, continuing case investigation and aggressively assessing spread. The best way to keep adults and children polio-free is through safe and effective immunization — New Yorkers' greatest protection against the worst outcomes of polio, including permanent paralysis and even death."
An unvaccinated adult male tested positive for the virus in New York City last month. He was hospitalized with paralysis.
Polio, once one of the nation's most feared diseases, was declared eliminated in the United States in 1979, more than two decades after vaccines became available.
A majority of people infected with polio have no symptoms but can still shed the virus and give it to others for days or weeks. A small percentage of people who get the disease suffer paralysis. The disease is fatal for between 5%-10% of those paralyzed.
Health officials urged residents to get vaccinated.
"The risk to New Yorkers is real but the defense is so simple — get vaccinated against polio," said Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan. "With polio circulating in our communities there is simply nothing more essential than vaccinating our children to protect them from this virus, and if you're an unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated adult, please choose now to get the vaccine.
"Polio is entirely preventable and its reappearance should be a call to action for all of us."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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