The CDC said on Friday that about 8% of wastewater samples tested in recent months in the 13-county area around New York City tested positive for polio, suggesting sustained community transmission of the virus in the area. is showing.
The testing follows the discovery of a case of paralytic polio in an unvaccinated man in Rockland County this summer. So far, he’s the only known case, but data released Friday reveal the virus is spreading widely.
Between March 9 and October 11, researchers collected 1,076 wastewater samples from 48 sites covering 13 counties in the region. Of those, 89 samples, or 8.3% of the total, were positive for poliovirus type 2.
“Most people in the United States live or work in Kings, Orange, Queens, Rockland, or Sullivan counties and are under- or under-vaccinated. , New York must complete the polio vaccination series as soon as possible.” the researcher wrote.
Of the 89 positive samples, 82 were genetically linked to infection in Rockland County men, and 80 of the 82 were found in Rockland, Sullivan, and Orange counties.
A total of 7 positive samples were found from sites serving the New York City area.
“Wastewater testing combined with high-quality AFM (acute flaccid myelitis) surveillance helped define the extent of the polio outbreak in New York. It shows community transmission in five nearby county areas,” the CDC said. I have written.
The researchers stress that everyone living in Kings, Orange, Queens, Rockland, or Sullivan counties completes a vaccination series against the poliovirus as soon as possible.
Last week, the CDC oral polio vaccine For the first time in 20 years, to stop a possible outbreak.
