Poliovirus detected in New York City wastewater last week put public health officials on high alert, as it indicates the potentially paralyzing virus is circulating widely in the area.
But infectious disease experts say there’s no need for families of fully vaccinated children to panic.
“The inactivated polio vaccine is part of the standard childhood immunization schedule, so for most families, it really shouldn’t be a concern,” says Dr. Gail Shust, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at NYU Langone Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital in New York City. “It happens to be an extremely effective vaccine.”
At this point, there’s also no need to seek out a polio booster for a fully vaccinated child or adult, she adds.
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“For kids who’ve gone through the normal vaccination schedule in the United States, there is zero reason for them to get a booster,” Shust says.
What you need to know about polio
Instead, concern should be focused on communities with clusters of unvaccinated children and adults, because those are the people at risk for polio, experts say.
A young man in Rockland County, N.Y. — about 45 minutes northwest of the Bronx — was diagnosed in late July with the first case of paralytic polio identified in the United States in nearly a decade.
Subsequently, poliovirus was detected in the sewage of both Rockland County and neighboring Orange County, indicating community transmission of the virus.
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Polio can lead to permanent paralysis of the arms and legs. It also can be fatal if paralysis occurs in muscles used to breathe or swallow.
About 1 in 25 people infected with poliovirus will get viral meningitis, and about 1 in 200 become paralyzed.
“A lot of people who get infected with poliovirus, they’re asymptomatic,” Shust notes. “It’s entirely possible there are
