Case of polio reported in NY, first known case in US since 2013

A Rockland County, New York, resident has polio — marking the first case recorded in the US in nearly a decade, officials said Thursday.

The New York State and Rockland County Departments of Health did not immediately provide further details about the patient or their condition.

State health officials, however, advised medical practitioners to be “vigilant for additional cases.”

The chain of transmission that led to the case is under investigation, the state DOH said.

Polio is an highly contagious virus that often enters the body through the mouth, and in its worst cases can cause paralysis or death.

The highly-effective CDC-approved vaccine against the virus, which is required for schoolchildren in New York state, all but eradicated the disease in the US in the 1970s. The Rockland County case is the first recorded in the country since 2013.

The state DOH told The Post it is the first known instance of polio in New York in decades, but did not provide an exact date of the last recorded case.

“Many of you may be too young to remember polio, but when I was growing up, this disease struck fear in families, including my own,” Rockland County Executive Ed Day said in a statement. 

“The fact that it is still around decades after the vaccine was created shows you just how relentless it is. Do the right thing for your child and the greater good of your community and have your child vaccinated now.”

Rockland County is hosting an emergency polio vaccination clinic in Pomona, New York, where unvaccinated New Yorkers can receive free jabs. The county health commissioner said she is coordinating with the CDC to prevent further spread.

“Vaccines have protected our health against old and new viruses for decades,” New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said in a statement. “The fact is, the urgency of safe and effective vaccines has always been here, and we need New Yorkers to protect themselves against completely preventable viruses like Polio.”