Polio in New York City wastewater suggests virus is circulating

• Polio virus has been found in New York City’s wastewater, health officials say.
• This comes after a case of polio was found in Rockland County, New York, last month.
• The fact that poliovirus was found is “alarming but not surprising,” an official says.

The virus that causes polio has been found in New York City wastewater, health officials said Friday. This comes after a case of polio was found in Rockland County, which is north of the city.

The fact that the poliovirus was found in the city’s wastewater shows that the virus is probably spreading in the area, the city and state health departments said.

In a tweet, the department said, “Polio can lead to paralysis and even death,” “We urge unvaccinated New Yorkers to get vaccinated now.”

The fact that poliovirus was found in wastewater samples from New York City is “alarming but not surprising,” said Dr. Mary T. Bassett, the state’s health commissioner.

Bassett said, “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.”

This month, health officials in New York state said that they found signs of more cases of poliovirus in wastewater samples from two different counties. This led them to warn that hundreds of people may have been infected with the potentially dangerous virus.

Take a look:

The NYC Health Department and @HealthNYGov have identified poliovirus in sewage in NYC, suggesting local transmission of the virus. Polio can lead to paralysis and even death. We urge unvaccinated New Yorkers to get vaccinated now: https://t.co/ELJCZi1WOL pic.twitter.com/TTmjZWhwtd

— nychealthy (@nycHealthy) August 12, 2022

The first case of polio in the United States in almost a decade was found in Rockland County, New York, last month.

Officials said that the young adult who got paralysed in their legs was otherwise healthy and had not been vaccinated.

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