New York county confirms case of polio

The New York Department of Health on Thursday reported a case of polio in a resident of the state’s Rockland County. 

This case marks the first in the U.S. in nearly a decade. 

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The department said it was identified through sequencing at the Wadsworth Center – its public health laboratory – and confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The sequencing showed revertant polio Sabin type 2 virus.

“This is indicative of a transmission chain from an individual who received the oral polio vaccine (OPV), which is no longer authorized or administered in the U.S., where only the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) has been given since 2000,” the department wrote. “This suggests that the virus may have originated in a location outside of the U.S. where OPV is administered, since revertant strains cannot emerge from inactivated vaccines.”

The state Health Department, the Rockland County Department of Health and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene are coordinating to continue the case investigation and “proactively respond.”

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Officials are advising medical practitioners and health care providers to be vigilant for additional cases.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.