Three weeks after the long-defeated virus reemerged in Rockland County, north of the metropolis, health officials announced on Friday that the polio virus has been found in New York City. The potentially fatal virus was found in samples of the city’s sewage that were taken.

Before the Rockland County case, there had been an almost ten-year absence of polio cases in the United States. However, the paralyzing pathogen’s reported arrival in the five boroughs implied local community spread.

At a press conference on Long Island, Governor Kathy Hochul stated, “This is something we’re monitoring closely,” adding that the state and the federal government are cooperating. This sickness is very, very dangerous.

According to the governor, immunizations are New York’s strongest line of defense against the resurgence of polio, and it is now necessary to “raise the alarm” about the danger.

The federal government reports that while over 70% of those infected with the highly dangerous polio virus do not show symptoms, about 25% do. The virus infects the spinal cord and causes paralysis in less than 1% of cases.

Dr. Mary Bassett, the state health commissioner, said in a statement that there could be hundreds more cases of paralytic polio that have gone unreported for every one that has been found. Although disturbing, the discovery of poliovirus in New York City wastewater samples is not unexpected.

Following the release of the polio vaccine in 1955, polio was mostly eradicated from the United States throughout the second half of the 20th century. Complete vaccination coverage offers nearly complete polio protection.

The city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, stated in a statement that “the risk to New Yorkers is real but the protection is so easy – get vaccinated against polio.” The resurgence of the disease should spur everyone to action because it is completely preventable.

Authorities advised vaccinations for those whose vaccination status is unknown.

According to state Health Department regulations, vaccination against polio is necessary for school-aged children in New York. However, neither the federal government nor the state have any requirements for children who are homeschooled.

Polio vaccination rates have drastically decreased in the city throughout the pandemic.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, stated that vaccination rates are the only reason why this is a problem. These are the results of the anti-vaccine movement’s population-wide infiltration.

He said, “This should only be regarded of as self-inflicted.”

Authorities estimate that 14% of youngsters in New York City between the ages of 6 months and 5 do not have a complete polio vaccination. A complete inoculation requires a minimum of three doses.

Government statistics show that the vaccination rate for this age group is less than 60% in Brooklyn ZIP codes that are dispersed over areas like Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Borough President of Brooklyn Antonio Reynoso issued a statement in which he urged “any Brooklynites who may not be immunized to talk to a medical practitioner about becoming immunized.”

According to the data, Staten Island and southern and eastern Queens had rates under 70%. On Friday, the city declined to immediately say where it had located the virus.

According to authorities, 80% of 2-year-old children in the state have received all recommended polio vaccinations. However, the state Health Department found that the rate in Rockland County, which is home to ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups suspicious of vaccinations, is about 60%.

Measles, another virus that can be avoided with immunization, had an exceptional epidemic in Rockland County in 2018 and 2019. The outbreak prompted lawmakers in New York to eliminate vaccine exemptions based on religious convictions.

Professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, Dr. William Schaffner, voiced worry for regions where vaccination resistance is strong but hypothesized that the low vaccination rate in New York City is partially due to COVID-era delays in pediatric appointments.

Schaffner stated, “I would hope that every parent and every doctor is trying to catch up with their children. “The vaccine for polio is really incredibly effective in preventing this paralytic disease that can leave you with a disability for the rest of your life,” the author said.

Before the polio vaccine was developed, Wes Hazlitt of Manitoba, Canada, contracted polio in 1953 at the age of barely 13 months.

After his recovery, he picked up walking. However, he eventually developed post-polio syndrome, which rendered him severely exhausted and forced him into a wheelchair before he was 50.

He expressed concern that some people who get polio now may experience far more severe symptoms as they age and that many clinicians are currently uninformed about polio.

The public is unaware of polio, said Hazlitt, 70, on Friday in the afternoon. They haven’t ever seen it, therefore. They feel well, so they aren’t concerned about getting immunized.

He remarked, “It worries me that ‘covidiots’ who reject the COVID vaccination also lump in polio and measles and all vaccines and claim they are ineffective. “Polio vaccination was effective.”


source
https://shedybliss.com/polio-virus-detected-in-nyc-wastewater-health-officials-say/?preview_id=3727&preview_nonce=fe1bd63f46&_thumbnail_id=3728&preview=true

Hmmn