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Four wastewater samples collected in July and August in Sullivan County have been found to contain the polio virus, state health officials said Friday, as officials urge people who have not been vaccinated against the virus to do so.
The samples were linked to a previously unvaccinated case of polio in Rockland County, the state Department of Health said.
“One New Yorker paralyzed by polio is already too many, and I don’t want to see another paralyzed case,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett. “The polio vaccine in New York today is an imminent threat to all adults and children who are unvaccinated or unaware of polio vaccines. Every New Yorker, parent, caregiver, and pediatrician should do everything possible to protect themselves, their children, and their patients from this dangerous and debilitating disease with a safe and effective vaccine.
In the past, health officials have found polio in wastewater in Rockland, Orange and New York City. The samples provide further evidence of local polio transmission that can paralyze people infected with the disease.
New York and Rockland County health officials said in 2016 that In July, they announced the first confirmed case of polio in the United States since 2013, and soon after began analyzing the wastewater.
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