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The virus that causes polio has been detected in New York City’s wastewater weeks after a case of polio was identified in Rockland County, north of the city, health officials announced Friday.
The presence of the poliovirus in the city’s wastewater suggests likely local circulation of the virus, the city and New York state health departments said.
“Polio can lead to paralysis and even death,” the departments said in a tweet. “We urge unvaccinated New Yorkers to get vaccinated now.”
State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said the detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in New York City is “alarming, but not surprising.”
“The best way to keep adults and children polio-free is through safe and effective immunization – New Yorkers’ greatest protection against the worst outcomes of polio, including permanent paralysis and even death,” Bassett said.
Earlier this month, New York state health officials said they found indications of additional cases of poliovirus in wastewater samples from two different counties, leading them to warn that hundreds of people may be infected with the potentially serious virus.
Last month, the New York Health Department reported the nation’s first case of polio in almost a decade, in Rockland County. Officials said that case occurred in a previously healthy young adult who was unvaccinated and developed paralysis in their legs.
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