Polio Detected in 4 Wastewater Samples in Sullivan County

By Hamodia Staff

Poliovirus has been detected in four wastewater samples in Sullivan County from July and August, linked to a paralytic polio case previously identified in an unvaccinated person in Rockland County, indicating further community spread of the dreaded disease that had virtually been eradicated in the United States.

The New York State Health Department announced Friday that sequencing analysis performed by the CDC detected polio in four samples from Sullivan County — two collected in July and two collected in August — which are genetically-linked to the case of paralytic polio previously identified in Rockland County. Polio had previously been detected in wastewater samples collected in Rockland County, Orange County, and New York City. All samples are types of polio that can cause paralysis in humans. 

There is no cure for polio, and health officials are urging New Yorkers to be up-to-date on their immunizations. 

“One New Yorker paralyzed by polio is already too many, and I do not want to see another paralytic case,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett. “The polio in New York today is an imminent threat to all adults and children who are unvaccinated or not up to date with their polio immunizations. Every New Yorker, parent, guardian, and pediatrician must do everything possible to ensure they, their children, and their patients are protected against this dangerous, debilitating disease through safe and effective vaccination.”  

Individuals infected with polio shed virus in their stool. Testing wastewater samples in the sewage system provides evidence of where the virus is spreading.

Polio is a serious and life-threatening disease. Spread from person-to-person, polio is very contagious, and an individual can transmit the virus even if they aren’t sick. Asymptomatic spread is a high concern among health officials, particularly following the identification of a paralytic, symptomatic polio case. Based on evidence from earlier polio outbreaks, health officials estimate that for every one case of paralytic polio observed, there may be hundreds of other people infected. 

According to the CDC, 70 percent of people infected with polio experience no symptoms, and 25 percent experience mild or flu-like symptoms that may be mistaken for many other illnesses. About 1 in 100 individuals will develop severe disease, including permanent paralysis. Of those paralyzed, 2-10 percent die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.

Polio enters the body through the mouth, usually from hands contaminated with the stool of an infected person. Respiratory and oral-to-oral transmission through saliva may also occur. In addition to immunization to prevent disease, handwashing with soap is important, as alcohol-based sanitizers do not work on some types of germs, like polio.

Read our interview with polio expert Dr. William Petri here