New York reports 1st US polio case in nearly a decade
A CDC scientist does molecular testing for different types of polio.[CDC / Holly Patrick]
NEW YORK (AP) – New York health officials are reporting the first U.S. case of polio in nearly a decade.
Officials said the Rockland County resident is an unvaccinated young adult who developed paralysis.
The person is no longer deemed contagious, but investigators are trying to figure out whether other people were exposed to the virus.
State health officials scheduled polio vaccination clinics as part of the response.
Polio was once one of the nation’s most feared diseases, with annual outbreaks causing thousands of cases of paralysis – many of them in children.
Most Americans are vaccinated against polio. One expert says this should serve as a wake-up call to those who aren’t.