Polio Outbreak Briefing Scheduled by the U.S. CDC

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reconfirmed today it is investigating a case of poliomyelitis in New York (NY) in an unvaccinated patient and has scheduled a telebriefing for September 1, 2022, at 2 pm EST.

In this polio case, the man presented to an emergency room in Rockland County, NY, on July 21, 2022, with lower limb weakness and fever.

Additionally, local sequencing showed this case was revertant polio Sabin type 2 virus.

This finding indicates a transmission chain from an individual who received the oral polio vaccine (OPV), which is no longer authorized or administered in the U.S., where only the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) has been given since 2000.

This suggests that the type 2 virus may have originated outside of the U.S., where OPV is administered, since revertant polio strains cannot emerge from inactivated vaccines.

During this Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call, presenters will discuss the history of polio in the USA and the current New York state outbreak.

The CDC team will also review clinical aspects of poliovirus infection, how to report suspected cases and recommendations for polio vaccination in the USA.

Nationwide, acute flaccid paralysis surveillance is the gold standard for detecting cases of poliomyelitis. 

Globally, the WHO's Committee unanimously agreed in June 2022 that the risk of international spread of poliovirus remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and recommended the extension of Temporary Recommendations for a further three months. 

The presenters for this COCA call are Farrell Tobolowsky, DO, MS, Emily Lutterloh, MD, MPH, Janell Routh, MD, MHS, and Georgina Peacock, MD, MPH.

Furthermore, the COCA call is open to the public and accessible via this Zoom weblink, Passcode: 657180.

Additionally, the CDC urges all healthcare providers to ensure their patients are current on the primary polio vaccination series.

And healthcare providers should consider polio in the differential diagnosis of patients with sudden onset of limb weakness, especially in unvaccinated individuals and those with recent international travel to places where poliovirus is circulating, such as London, England, Israel, and various countries in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. 

Separately, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative says polio is endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The CDC says, 'before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series.'

'And the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of a polio vaccine.'

Polio vaccines are generally available at most clinics and pharmacies in the USA.

Updated information regarding poliovirus detections in various New York wastewater systems and vaccination opportunities are posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Polio.