A case of polio has been identified and confirmed by health officials in a suburb of New York City, the New York State Department of Health said on Thursday, the first case of the disease detected in the United States in at least 30 years.
In a statement from the ministry, it was stated that the tests suggested that the highly contagious virus case in Rockland County may have originated outside the country.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and working with the New York Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to respond to this pressing public health challenge and protect the health and well-being of residents,” said Rockland. County Health Commissioner Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said in a statement.
Confirming the case, the CDC said no cases of polio had emerged in the United States since 1979. However, the virus has since been brought into the country by travelers with the disease. The CDC said it last happened in 1993.
The CDC said the symptoms of polio are similar to flu symptoms and include sore throat, fever, fatigue and nausea.
Polio invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours. There is no cure for the disease, but infection can be prevented by vaccination.
A significant reduction in global disease cases in recent years is due to intense national and regional vaccination campaigns in infants and children.
In the late 1940s, when vaccines against the disease were not yet available, virus outbreaks disabled an estimated 35,000 Americans each year, especially children living in areas with poor sanitation.
source: Noticias
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