Polio is circulating in the U.S.; anti-vax movement is to blame, according to top doc

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Polio is circulating in the United States, according to the World Health Organization, and unvaccinated Americans — especially those living near Rockland County, N.Y. — are urged to get up-to-date with the vaccine immediately, according to a top doctor with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There is no cure for polio, which infects the central nervous system and causes paralysis. Before a vaccine became available, it disabled tens of thousands of people every year. It is very contagious and spreads through person-to person contact, infecting a person’s throat and intestines.

The U.S.’s placement on the World Health Organization’s list of countries where polio is circulating highlights the dangerous consequences of the growing anti-vaccine movement, according to Dr. Jose R. Romero, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, who stressed that the spread of polio is not caused by the vaccine currently used in the U.S.

The CDC said Tuesday that polioviruses found in New York, both from the case of paralytic polio in an unvaccinated adult in Rockland County and in several wastewater samples from communities near the patient’s residence, provided by the state Department of Health meet the WHO’s criteria for “circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV).”

The polio virus’ genetic sequences from the Rockland County patient and wastewater specimens collected in New York have been linked to wastewater samples in Jerusalem, Israel, and London, the CDC said.

The vaccine injection used in the U.S since 2000 does not contain the live virus, though the original live vaccine, given orally, is still used in some countries.

“Polio vaccination is the safest and best way to fight this debilitating disease and it is imperative that people in these communities who are unvaccinated get up to date on polio vaccination right away,” said Romero. “We cannot emphasize enough that polio is a dangerous disease for which there is no cure.”

Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in New York, following increased detections of the polio virus in New York. While no additional polio cases have been found, this action helps the state expand vaccination efforts and surveillance.

Circulating vaccine-derived polio occurs when local immunity drops low enough to allow transmission of the original weakened virus from the oral polio vaccine, used in other countries and possibly reintroduced to the U.S. by travel, the CDC said.

“As the virus circulates and more genetic changes occur, the virus can regain its ability to infect the central nervous system and cause paralysis,’’ the CDC announcement said. “It’s important to note that cVDPVs are not caused by a child receiving the polio vaccine.”

The CDC announcement said the agency is working closely with WHO, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and other international public health partner organizations.

The United States now joins a list of about 30 other countries in Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe where polio has been identified.

“It’s important to note that no additional cases of polio have been reported in the United States at this time, and today’s update does not impact the current CDC recommendations for polio vaccination for children or adults,’’ the CDC announcement said.