Rockland County Community Members Can Schedule a Vaccine Here
ALBANY, NY (July 21, 2022) – The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the Rockland County Health Department today alerted the public to a case of polio in a Rockland County resident. State and County health officials are advising medical practitioners and health care providers to be on the lookout for additional cases.
As the polio vaccine continues to be included in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) standard childhood immunization schedule, those who have already been vaccinated are considered to be at less risk. Notably, the polio vaccine is part of the required school immunization schedule for all children, and therefore school-age children are vaccinated before they start school. However, unvaccinated individuals, including those who are pregnant, those who have not previously completed their polio vaccine series, or members of the community who are concerned that they may have been exposed, be vaccinated by Rockland County – which will host a local vaccine. clinics – or partnering agencies and health providers in the area. Individuals who have already been vaccinated but are at risk of exposure should receive a booster shot.
“Based on what we know about this case, and polio in general, the Department of Health strongly recommends that unvaccinated individuals be vaccinated or boosted with the IPV polio vaccine approved by FDA as soon as possible,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said “The polio vaccine is safe and effective, protecting against this potentially debilitating disease, and has been part of the backbone of required routine childhood immunizations recommended by health officials and public health agencies across the country.”
A viral disease that can affect the nervous system and cause muscle weakness, the polio virus usually enters the body through the mouth, usually from hands contaminated with the faecal matter of an infected person. Respiratory and oral-to-oral transmission via saliva can also occur.
Polio is highly contagious, and a person can spread the virus even if they are not sick. Symptoms, which can be mild and flu-like (fatigue, fever, headache, stiffness, muscle pain, vomiting), can take up to 30 days to appear, during which time an infected individual can be spread virus to others. Although rare, some cases of polio can lead to paralysis or death.
In this case, the sequence performed by the Wadsworth Center – NYSDOH’s public health laboratory – and confirmed by the CDC showed a reversed type 2 polio virus. This indicates a chain of transmission from an individual who received the oral polio vaccine (OPV), which is no longer authorized or administered in the United States, where only the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) has been administration since 2000. This suggests that virus may have originated from a location outside the United States where OPV is administered, since return strains cannot emerge from inactivated vaccines.
“Many of you may be too young to remember polio, but when I was growing up, this disease struck fear into families, including mine,” said County Executive Ed Day. “The fact that it is still around decades after the vaccine was created shows you how persistent it is. Do the right thing for the benefit of your child and the well-being of your community and have your child to vaccinate now.”
Due to the success of the vaccine, introduced in 1955, and a national vaccination program, polio cases were dramatically reduced in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with the last naturally occurring cases of polio occurring in the United States in 1979. Polio more recent outbreaks were not wild strains, with the last known case in the United States recorded by CDC in 2013.
“Vaccines have protected our health against viruses old and new for decades,” said New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “The truth is, the urgency of safe and effective vaccines has always been here, and New Yorkers need to protect themselves from completely preventable viruses like Polio.”
NYSDOH is coordinating with the Rockland County Department of Health and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) to continue the case investigation, proactively respond, and protect communities from spread by encouraging vaccination, which will be supported by the this multi-vaccination. agency, a county-led effort.
“The Rockland County Health Department is working with our local health care partners and community leaders to inform the public and ensure that the polio vaccine is available. We are closely monitoring the situation and working with the New York State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control. and Prevention to respond to this emerging public health issue to protect the health and well-being of county residents,” said Rockland County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert.
Beginning Friday, July 22, Rockland County will host a polio vaccination clinic at the Pomona Health Center (Building A) at 50 Sanatorium Road in Pomona, New York from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. A second clinic will be held at the same location on Monday, July 25 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Anyone who has not been vaccinated – including those who are pregnant – who have not completed their series of polio vaccines, or who are concerned that they may have been exposed, should be vaccinated at the clinics. Individuals who have already been vaccinated but are at risk of exposure should receive a booster shot, which will also be available at the clinics.
New Yorkers can pre-register for a free appointment here or call 845-238-1956 to schedule. Walk-ins are also accepted.
Vaccines are also available through local health care providers, including Federally Qualified Health Centers.
For more information on polio including symptoms and spread, visit the NYSDOH page here.
New Yorkers can learn more about the polio vaccine available in the United States on the CDC page here.
