There had been no cases of polio in the US for nearly a decade, and no cases of polio in New York State for over 20 years. In the United States, the infectious disease was considered eradicated. Over the summer, however, a young man became infected north of metropolitan New York, and his legs are now partially paralyzed. Since then, polio viruses have been repeatedly detected in the wastewater of various communities in the state and also in the metropolis.
“If you have a polio patient with paralysis, you know immediately that there is a bigger problem,” said polio expert Diedrich of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin recently. Because only in about one in 200 cases does an infection lead to the irreversible paralysis that is typical of polio – and that only in unvaccinated people. Thus, such a case could mean that there are hundreds of infected people without symptoms in the region.
New Yorkers should get vaccinated
Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency. The risk is high for people who have not been vaccinated against polio, the governor said, urging all residents to catch up on vaccinations if necessary.
“If your child has not been vaccinated or is unaware of immunization status, the risk of debilitating illness is real,” New York City health commissioner Mary Bassett told all parents. According to the authorities, about 14 percent of children between six months and five years in the metropolis have not been vaccinated or not fully vaccinated against polio. Routine vaccinations such as polio have been suspended in many countries during the pandemic years.
Permanent paralysis or death
The disease, which is often spread through contaminated hands as a so-called swab or through contaminated water, can cause paralysis and death, and especially small children can suffer permanent paralysis. The worldwide vaccination campaigns that started in 1988 have so far saved about 20 million people from paralysis and one and a half million from death, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Meanwhile, vaccination rates are far too low in many places.
Not only the United States is affected. In Israel, the pathogen was first discovered in early March in a four-year-old child in Jerusalem. Subsequently, more cases and polio viruses were found in the sewers of several cities in the country. In London, health authorities were notified in June when polioviruses were repeatedly found in sewage samples. According to the government, tens of thousands of children are at risk there alone.
Oral vaccination against wild type
The pathogens detected in the three countries are not the wild type of the polio virus, but viruses that go back to the oral vaccination with attenuated but live polio pathogens. They can be excreted by vaccinated people for up to six weeks. Initially, infection via saliva and throat secretion is also possible. Other countries may also be affected, experts say.
Israel uses live oral vaccines (OPVs), but the US and UK do not. As in Austria, inactivated vaccines (IPV) that do not contain viable viruses have long been used there. The pathogens circulating in London and New York were probably first introduced by people who received the oral vaccination, which is still widespread in their country.
New York considering reintroduction
The WHO has now placed the US on the list of countries – currently about 30 – where vaccine-based polioviruses are spreading. “The United States is taking all appropriate steps to prevent new cases of paralysis,” the CDC said. Until now, there is no cure for polio. Oral vaccination with live vaccines is still widely used, especially in Africa and Asia. The very low risk of a polio vaccination case is accepted in favor of a large-scale immunization of the population.
The US is now also considering reintroducing oral vaccination after the polio outbreak in New York. There is now a new live vaccine with a virus that does not multiply as well and cannot be excreted for as long. “Since the New York outbreak, we’ve decided we need to look at polio again,” Oliver Brooks, chairman of a CDC working group on the issue, told CNBC. “We just have to do that.”
In Austria as a combined vaccination standard
The inactivated polio vaccination (IPV) is included in the free vaccination program in Austria and is vaccinated according to the domestic vaccination plan as part of the six-fold vaccination according to the two-plus-one schedule in the 3rd, 5th and 11th to 12th months of life. At school age, the combination vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio is repeated between 7 and 9 years. After primary immunization in infancy and booster vaccination at school age, booster vaccinations with a combination vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio should be given regularly every ten years.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
