New York: CASE OF POLIO IN ROCKLAND COUNTY

[Mary Wilson]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2022

CASE OF POLIO IN ROCKLAND COUNTY

RCDOH will have two polio vaccination clinics at the Pomona Health Complex (details below)

** Rockland County will be holding a press conference for members of the media today, July 21st, at 2:00 pm at the Pomona Health Complex in Building A **

NEW CITY, NY - County Executive Ed Day and County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert encourage residents who are unvaccinated, have not completed the polio vaccination series, or are at high risk for contracting polio even if they have completed the primary series to get vaccinated as soon as possible. A confirmed case of polio in a Rockland County resident was announced in partnership with the New York State Department of Health earlier today.

... Up to 95 percent of people infected with polio have no symptoms, yet they can still spread the virus. About four to five percent of infected people have minor symptoms such as fever, muscle weakness, headache, nausea, and vomiting. One to two percent of infected people develop severe muscle pain and stiffness in the neck and back. Less than one percent of polio infections result in paralysis.

... The first step in the county-led response will be this Friday, July 22nd, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, when the Rockland County Department of Health will offer a polio vaccination clinic at the Pomona Health Complex, 50 Sanatorium Road, Pomona, NY, in Building A. A second clinic will be held at the same place on Monday, July 25th, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

To pre-register for an appointment, visit: HERE

Walk-ins are welcome. For help making an appointment, call: 845-238-1956.

These clinics are for anyone who is unvaccinated, has not completed the polio vaccination series, or is at high risk for contracting polio even if they have completed the primary series. Vaccinations are also available through local health care providers including Federally Qualified Health Centers.

"The Rockland County Department of Health is working with our local health care system and community leaders to notify the public and make polio vaccination available. We are monitoring the situation closely and working with the New York State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to respond to this emergent public health issue to protect the health and wellbeing of county residents," said Dr. Ruppert.

https://rocklandgov.com/departments/health/press-releases/2022-press-releases/case-of-polio-in-rockland-county/

[Mary Wilson]

New York State Department of Health and Rockland County Department of Health Alert the Public to A Case of Polio In the County

ALBANY, N.Y. (July 21, 2022) – The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the Rockland County Department of Health today alerted the public to a case of polio in a Rockland County resident. State and County health officials are advising medical practitioners and healthcare providers to be vigilant for additional cases.

As the polio vaccine continues to be included on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) standard child immunization schedule, those already vaccinated are considered to be at lower risk. Notably, the polio vaccine is part of the required school immunization schedule for all children, and therefore school-age children are vaccinated before they start school. However, individuals who are unvaccinated, including those who are pregnant, those who have not completed their polio vaccine series previously, or community members who are concerned they have might have been exposed, should get vaccinated by Rockland County – who will be hosting local vaccine clinics – or partnering health agencies and providers in the area. Individuals who are already vaccinated but are at risk of exposure should receive a booster.

... In this case, sequencing performed by the Wadsworth Center – NYSDOH's public health laboratory – and confirmed by CDC showed revertant polio Sabin type 2 virus. This is indicative of 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 virus may have originated in a location outside of the U.S. where OPV is administered, since revertant strains cannot emerge from inactivated vaccines.

https://health.ny.gov/press/releases/2022/2022-07-21_polio_rockland_county.htm

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.lohud.com/story/news/loc...e/65381908007/

Polio in Rockland wastewater as early as June, samples show
The June samples that showed the presence of polio came from Rockland County Sewer District #1, which serves the towns of Ramapo and Clarkstown, along with some parcels in Orangetown.
Nancy Cutler
Chris McKenna
Rockland/Westchester Journal News


New testing has found that the polio virus had infected at least one Rockland County resident and was present in wastewater sampled at a sewage treatment plant as early as June, the county's health commissioner said Monday.

The detective work on past wastewater samples began after the state and county reported a case of polio had occurred in Rockland County, the first in the U.S. since 2013. The young adult who was ill was paralyzed during the illness in June, health officials said, but they would not say whether that was a permanent condition.

The person, who had recovered from the virus, had never been vaccinated for polio. They had not traveled, health officials have said.

The June samples that showed the presence of polio came from Rockland County Sewer District #1, which serves the towns of Ramapo and Clarkstown, along with some parcels in Orangetown. Rockland Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said that Orangetown's sewer district - the other plant in Rockland where wastewater is periodically tested for COVID-19 - did not have polio presence.

Wastewater was already being collected for COVID testing, Schnabel Ruppert said, adding, "The good news is they still had the samples so we could go back."

Schnabel Ruppert said "it's too soon to say" whether polio is still present in Rockland or New York...

[Shiloh]

Source: https://rocklandgov.com/departments/...iseases/polio/


Polio Information

Polio Vaccine (Inactivated) Clinics

The Health Department will offer polio vaccination clinics at 50 Sanatorium Road Building A in Pomona on:

• Friday, July 29th from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Pre-register Here

Walk-ins are welcome. These clinics are for anyone who is unvaccinated, has not completed the polio vaccination series, or is at high risk for contracting polio. See a printable clinic flyer in English


, Spanish, Creole
. Vaccinations are also available through local health care providers.
For more information about polio visit https://www.cdc.gov/polio/what-is-polio/ or https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/c...fact_sheet.htm.



Important information

On July 21, 2022, RCDOH and NYSDOH alerted the public to a case of confirmed poliomyelitis in an UNVACCINATED, previously healthy, young adult, county resident who presented with leg paralysis.
While this is the only identified case so far, most people who get infected with poliovirus will not have any visible symptoms. An infected person may spread the virus to others even if they do not have symptoms. The virus can also live in an infected person’s feces for many weeks and can contaminate food and water in unsanitary conditions.

The county is continuing to conduct surveillance activities to assess the risk to the community (i.e, determine if the virus is circulating).
There is negligible risk to those who are fully vaccinated. Those who are unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated are at risk of contracting and spreading polio, and RCDOH strongly urges seeking polio vaccination without delay.
The INACTIVATED POLIO VACCINE (IPV) is the only polio vaccine given in the US since 2000. It is safe and effective. There is no risk of getting or spreading polio with IPV.



What is polio?


Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the fecal-oral route or, less frequently, contaminated water or food. It multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.


What are the symptoms of polio?


Most people who get infected with poliovirus will not have any visible symptoms.

A smaller proportion of people with poliovirus infection will develop serious symptoms that affect the brain and spinal cord:

• Paresthesia (feeling of pins and needles in the legs)
• Meningitis (infection of the covering of the spinal cord and/or brain)
• Paralysis (can't move parts of the body) or weakness in the arms, legs, or both, occurs in about 1 out of 200 people with poliovirus infection

Paralysis is the most severe symptom associated with polio, because it can lead to permanent disability and death. Between 2 and 10 out of 100 people who have paralysis from poliovirus infection die, because the virus affects the muscles that help them breathe.


How did the patient get polio? What does it mean when it is called "vaccine-derived"?


The individual suffered from poliomyelitis because of two events – they were 1) Unvaccinated and 2) they got exposed to a certain polio strain.

This strain, in its origin, is the same strain used in oral polio vaccines. Prior to being used as a vaccine, the virus is modified and weakened, such that it cannot cause disease but would induce immunity. This is administered only outside of the US.

As a person gets the OPV, it is shed, and can rarely remain in circulation, which happens if overall immunization rates remain low. As time goes by, if there is ongoing circulation and replication of this virus, it acquires mutations, and in time, it can regain the ability to cause disease, i.e. it "reverted" to a virulent strain. When it reaches an unimmunized person, it can make them sick.

Since OPV is not given in the US, the virus detected in our county case, likely originated from a traveler from abroad where OPV was administered, and there was a transmission chain reaching the patient.

To be very clear, the individual in this case did NOT get it from a vaccine, and in fact, had they been vaccinated, they would not have gotten poliomyelitis.


Is the polio virus circulating in the county?


Wastewater samples taken from Rockland County Sewer District #1 from June 2022 had detectable polio virus. This may have been from the singular case so the significance of this is unknown. It was NOT detected in the Orangetown Sewer District area during the same time period.

At this time, the county is continuing to conduct surveillance activities to determine if the virus is circulating. If it continues to be detected in the Rockland County Sewer District #1 in the upcoming months, or if it is detected in other sewer districts, or if another case is diagnosed, it may be said to be circulating. This determination might take some time, since samples need to be tested multiple times over months.


How can we stop the virus from circulating?


Circulation only happens or continues IF OVERALL VACCINATION RATES REMAIN LOW. If the community has sufficient immunized individuals, the polio virus cannot circulate. This is how the poliovirus was eradicated in our country.

As such, community members should seek to get immunized immediately if they are not yet vaccinated. This step will protect both the person getting vaccinated and our community.


Who should get vaccinated, and where?


Those who are unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or unsure, should arrange for vaccination immediately. Talk to your provider, visit a Federally Qualified Health Center, or schedule an appointment at the Rockland County Department of Health.

The health department will hold vaccine clinics over the coming weeks. View the schedule and make an appointment in the box above.

If you need assistance scheduling a polio vaccine appointment call 845-238-1956 Monday - Friday from 8:00am - 5:00pm (except holidays).

[Mary Wilson]

Polio found in New York wastewater as state assesses virus’ spread

WASHINGTON
REUTERS
PUBLISHED 7 HOURS AGOUPDATED 2 HOURS AGO

The polio virus was present in wastewater in a New York City suburb a month before health officials there announced a confirmed case of the disease last month, state health officials said on Monday, urging residents to be sure they have been vaccinated.

The discovery of the disease from wastewater samples collected in June means the virus was present in the community before the Rockland County adult’s diagnosis was made public July 21.

Laboratory tests also confirmed the strain in the case is genetically linked to one found in Israel, although that did not mean the patient had travelled to Israel, officials added. The nonprofit Global Polio Eradication Initiative last week said initial genetic sequencing also tied it to samples of the highly contagious and life-threatening virus in Britain.

The patient had started exhibiting symptoms in June, when local officials asked doctors to be on the lookout for cases, according to the New York Times. ...

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-polio-found-in-new-york-wastewater-as-state-assesses-virus-spread/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter