What to know about polio vaccines, symptoms and more

The New York health department warned about the potential local spread of polio on Thursday. Here's what to know about polio vaccines and symptoms.

The New York State Health Department warned Thursday of the "potential community spread" of polio after a paralysis case was detected in an unvaccinated young adult last month.

Paralysis cases of polio are rare, representing around 1 in 200 infections according to the World Health Organization, so detecting a single case suggests the presence of many more. New York's health department also detected polio in wastewater samples from two different counties, Orange and Rockland, in both June and July — another sign of community transmission.

“Based on earlier polio outbreaks, New Yorkers should know that for every one case of paralytic polio observed, there may be hundreds of other people infected,” New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said Thursday in a statement.

Polio detected in New York wastewater samplesAug. 5, 202201:34“Coupled with the latest wastewater findings, the Department is treating the single case of polio as just the tip of the iceberg of much greater potential spread," she added.

The health department recommends that any New Yorkers who haven't received polio vaccines, including infants and pregnant people, get vaccinated right away.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/know-polio-vaccines-symptoms-rcna41713

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