Kathy declares emergency in New York as poliovirus spreads

NEW YORK CITY, Sept 13: The fast-moving Governor of the State of New York, Ms Kathy Hochul on Friday declared a disaster emergency following detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in and around New York City. The declaration for the entire State of New York is to boost polio vaccination. There is alarming evidence the virus is spreading in communities asymptomatically.

A case of paralytic polio was identified in Rockland County in July 21 last. The patient was an unvaccinated adult who developed symptoms of paralysis. This was the first known infection in the US in nearly a decade.

In August 2022, poliovirus was found in NYC sewage samples. As investigation continued, poliovirus was detected in sewage samples from four counties in the New York metro area as well as in the city. The counties are Rockland, Orange, Sullivan, and the latest, Nassau. These studies were done in April, May, June, July and August.

Pharmacists, midwives and other health workers will join the drive to boost the immunization rate. Those unvaccinated have been told to receive their shots immediately. Certain category of people will also receive a single, lifetime booster dose. They are people who might have had contact with someone infected or thought to be infected with poliovirus or members of the infected person’s household and the health workers concerned.

What is polio

Polio (poliomyelitis) is a highly contagious viral infection caused by a type of enterovirus. It is characterized by paralysis or weakness in arms, legs or both. There have been no cases of wild type polio acquired in the US since 1979, the health department said.

Transmission & fatality

Polio spreads among people when the virus enters the mouth, typically through hands or objects contaminated with the stool of an infected person. It is important to wash your hands frequently, especially after using the bathroom or changing diapers. It is also possible to spread the virus through saliva and respiratory droplets.

A person can spread the virus before and up to two weeks after they first have symptoms. However, patients can spread disease as long as the virus is in their feces or saliva. It can spread from people even if they do not have any symptoms (asymptomatic).

The virus also spreads asymptomatically as 70% of people infected do not show symptoms, only 25% of those infected develop mild symptoms similar to the flu. Only one in 100 people infected develop severe disease such as permanent paralysis. Polio is fatal in 2% to 10% of people suffering from paralysis because the muscles used to breathe are immobilized.

Symptoms

Most people infected with the virus do not have any symptoms. One in four people with an infection will have flu-like symptoms, such as: Sore throat, Fever, Tiredness, Nausea and stomach pain.One in 25 people with an infection will get viral meningitis, and about one in 200 people will have paralysis. Symptoms may start to appear three to six days after exposure. Paralysis can occur between seven and 21 days after exposure.

Paralysis

Polio can leave you permanently unable to move parts of your body. It most commonly paralyzes the legs. In severe cases, polio can paralyze the muscles you use to breathe or swallow. This can cause death.

Treatment

There is no specific medicine for polio treatment.

Polio vaccination

All children should receive four doses of the polio vaccine. The first dose is administered between 6 weeks and 2 months of age, the second dose is given at 4 months, the third at 6 months to 18 months, and the fourth dose at 4 to 6 years old, a health advisory said. Adults who have only received one or two doses should get the remaining doses.

Those starting the vaccine series late should also receive all the doses. People who are not vaccinated can get polio at any age.

In the US, one can get the inactivated polio vaccine. This vaccine is safe and effective. Side effects are mild, including soreness of the arm or leg at the injection site. It cannot give polio or cause paralysis. The oral vaccine may not be as effective as the strain has changed. The US stopped using the oral vaccine more than two decades ago.

The polio vaccination rate is alarmingly low in some New York counties. The vaccination rate is 60% in Rockland, 58% in Orange, 62% in Sullivan and 79% in Nassau, according to the health department. The statewide average for polio immunization is about 79%.

Most adults in the US do not need to be vaccinated against polio again because they were already vaccinated as children.