United States added to WHO list of countries dealing with poliovirus

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - On Tuesday, September 13, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced that they had found polioviruses in New York.

In a press release, there were two cases: One came from a case of paralytic polio in an unvaccinated adult in Rockland County. The other case came from several wastewater samples from communities near the patient's residence.

In light of these discoveries, the CDC met the World Health Organization (WHO)'s criteria for circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVPDV).

In other words, the poliovirus is still transmitting in Rockland County, NY and its surrounding areas.

As of now, the United States joins a list of about 30 other countries where cVDPVs have been identified, and the CDC is working closely with WHO, the Pan American Health Organization, and other international public health partner organizations.

“Polio vaccination is the safest and best way to fight this debilitating disease and it is imperative that people in these communities who are unvaccinated get up to date on polio vaccination right away,” said Dr. José R. Romero, Director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

“We cannot emphasize enough that polio is a dangerous disease for which there is no cure.”

On the plus side, there are no additional cases of polio that have been reported in the United States at this time.

Furthermore, the CDC states that this new development doesn't impact the current recommendations for polio vaccinations for children or adults.