First U.S. Case of Polio in Nearly a Decade Reported in New York

A Rockland County resident is the country's first reported case of the contagious virus since 2013

scientist analyzing sample in the laboratory
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The first case of polio in the United States since 2013 has been reported in Rockland County, New York.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the infection.

Polio is a highly contagious viral disease that can affect the nervous system and cause muscle weakness and, in some cases, paralysis or death. It is most often transmitted through contaminated water or food, or sometimes through a person's saliva.

According to the CDC, most people who get infected with poliovirus will not have any visible symptoms — but can still transmit the disease. About 25% of people will have flu-like symptoms that may include: sore throat, fever, fatigue, nausea, headache and stomach pain.

New York State and Rockland County health officials are advising medical practitioners and healthcare providers to be vigilant for additional cases, according to a statement released by the state.

The statement also said the person was infected with a type 2 vaccine-derived poliovirus, which would have come from oral polio vaccine used in a number of countries, but not the United States. The U.S. stopped using oral polio vaccine in 2000.

The CDC recommends that all children receive the polio vaccine. New York state requires that all children receive the shot before they start school.

Before vaccines were available, polio caused widespread fear in the 1940s with more than 35,000 people becoming disabled from polio every year, according to the CDC. A successful national vaccination campaign in the 1950s and 60s enabled the U.S. to become polio free by 1979.

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