Polio detected in New York’s sewage, suggesting virus is circulating
- The discovery is a sign that the disease, which had not been seen in the US in a decade, is quietly spreading among unvaccinated people, health officials say
- ‘We’re dealing with a trifecta,’ New York’s mayor says as the city confronts polio amid the monkeypox threat and changing Covid-19 guidelines
The polio virus has been found in New York’s waste water in another sign that the disease, which had not been seen in the US in a decade, is quietly spreading among unvaccinated people, health officials said on Friday.
The presence of the poliovirus in the city’s waste water suggests likely local circulation of the virus, the city and New York state health departments said.
State Health Commissioner Dr Mary T. Bassett said the detection of poliovirus in waste water samples in New York is alarming but not surprising.
“The risk to New Yorkers is real but the defence is so simple – get vaccinated against polio,” New York City Health Commissioner Dr Ashwin Vasan said in a statement.
“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. Polio is entirely preventable and its reappearance should be a call to action for all of us.”
New York is being forced to confront polio as city health officials are struggling to vaccinate vulnerable populations against monkeypox and adjusting to changing Covid-19 guidelines.