New York Reports First U.S. Polio Case in Nearly a Decade

NEW YORK — New York health officials on Thursday reported a polio case, the first in the U.S. in nearly a decade. Officials did not immediately offer details on who the Rockland County resident was, whether the person was vaccinated or their current condition. State officials said it appeared the person had a vaccine-derived strain of the virus, perhaps from someone who got live vaccine — available in other countries, but not the U.S. — and spread it. Polio was once one of the nation’s most feared diseases, with annual outbreaks causing thousands of cases of paralysis — many of them in children. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Read More: Polio Makes a Comeback in Ukraine as War Halts Vaccination Campaign Vaccines became available starting in 1955, and nationwide vaccination campaign cut the annual number of cases to less than 100 in the 1960s and fewer than 10 in the 1970s, according to the CDC. In 1979, polio was declared eliminated in the U.S., meaning there was no longer routine spread of the virus in the country. Rarely, travelers with polio have brought infections into the U.S., with the last such case in 2013. U.S. children are still routinely vaccinated against polio. Federal officials recommend four doses: to be given at 2 months of age; 4 months; at 6 to 18 months; and at age 4 through 6 years. Some states require only three doses. According to the CDC’s most recent childhood vaccination data, about 93% of 2-year-olds ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate New York wire Source Type: news