Polio virus detected in New York City sewage

• Polio virus detected in New York City.
• The virus was found in the city’s wastewater a week after the first case in years was reported.
• Authorities make an emergency request of residents.

The virus that causes polio has been detected in New York City sewage a week after a case of the disease was reported in Rockland County north of the city, health officials announced Friday.

The presence of the poliovirus in sewage indicates that it is probably circulating locally, the New York City and state health departments said. The state commissioner of health, Dr. Mary T. Bassett, said the detection of the virus in city sewage samples is cause for alarm, though not surprising, according to The Associated Press.

Polio virus detected in New York City wastewater

On the other hand, the AP reported that New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said in a statement that, «The risk to New Yorkers is real, but the defense is so simple — get vaccinated against polio.»

“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,” continued Dr. Vasan. Filed Under: They detect polio virus

Polio detected in sewage

«Polio is entirely preventable and its reappearance should be a call to action for all of us,» reaffirmed the New York City health commissioner. The report came shortly after British health authorities reported finding evidence that the virus had spread in London.

It should be noted that polio has been detected in people in London as well. The Associated Press reported that children aged 1 to 9 years in London were eligible to receive a reinforced dose of a polio vaccine. Filed Under: They detect polio virus

The polio virus was detected in two New York counties in July

The AP noted that one person was paralyzed a few weeks ago from a polio infection that he contracted in Rockland County, north of the city. That was when authorities began to investigate further and discovered the virus in wastewater.

After health authorities conducted various studies, they revealed that wastewater samples collected last June in both Rockland and Orange County were found to contain the virus, causing great alarm for residents. Filed Under: They detect polio virus

Authorities urge the residents, especially children, to get vaccinated immediately

According to the AP and The New York Times, people who contract the polio virus don’t show symptoms, which means that they can inadvertently start spreading it for days and even weeks.

Vaccination offers strong protection, so officials urged people who haven’t been vaccinated to get one as soon as possible since hundreds in the state may have contracted polio and not know it. It is important to emphasize that the disease mainly affects children. Filed Under: They detect polio virus