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New York's Poliovirus Detections Total 99

December 30, 2022 • 4:40 pm CST
NY Dept of Health Polio
(Precision Vaccinations News)

Since an Acute Flaccid Myelitis patient was identified in Rockland County, New York (N.Y.) in July 2022, wastewater samples have been tested for poliovirus.

Polio is hard to detect when relying on clinical symptoms in humans, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Therefore, wastewater testing for poliovirus is required to determine if there is a community health risk.

As of December 30, 2022, an updated sequencing analysis by the CDC confirmed the presence of poliovirus in a total of 99 positive samples of concern, with 92 samples genetically linked to the Rockland County resident.

Of the 92 samples, 44 samples were collected in Rockland County, 29 in Orange County, 13 in Sullivan County, and 5 in New York City, all of which were from Brooklyn (Kings County), with 4 of these in an area that contains an adjacent portion in Queens County.

The NY Department of Health Poliovirus Wastewater Surveillance Report, dated December 28, 2022, is posted at this link.

To quantify the extent of the poliovirus exposure, the CDC announced on November 30, 2022, it would expand wastewater testing in select jurisdictions such as Detroit and Philadelphia.

Globally, poliovirus type 2 isolates have been identified in sewage samples collected in London and Israel related to the N.Y. findings.

On November 1, 2022, a World Health Organization Committee unanimously agreed that the risk of the international spread of poliovirus remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and extended Temporary Recommendations into 2023.

To notify international visitors, the CDC updated its global polio Alert - Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions on November 30, 2022, regarding outbreaks and poliovirus detections in various countries.

Furthermore, the CDC suggests eligible people become and maintain their polio immunizations.

Various polio vaccines are available in the U.S. at clinics and pharmacies.

Other polio outbreak news is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Outbreaks2022.

Our Trust Standards: Medical Advisory Committee

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