Tweet
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/worl...medium=twitter