One Year Since Polio Found in Wastewater in Rockland County

Residents Urged To Remain Vigilant As Polio Could Return

NEW CITY, NY, - The Rockland County Department of Health informs residents that it has been a full year since the poliovirus was found in the wastewater in Rockland and neighboring counties’ sanitary sewer systems. Wastewater surveillance activities are used to determine if a virus is circulating.

On July 22, 2022, a single case of paralytic polio in a Rockland County resident was confirmed. Together with the New York State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), our department collected wastewater samples for testing. Poliovirus was regularly found in local wastewater samples through February 2023. Partners continue to regularly monitor local wastewater.

Polio is a vaccine-preventable virus that spreads from person-to-person through infected feces (which can be microscopic) that enter the body through the mouth. Polio can also be spread through contact with contaminated bodies of water. Respiratory transmission and oral-to-oral transmission through saliva may also account for some cases. Most people infected with polio have no symptoms, yet they can still spread the virus. About 1 out of 4 people have mild symptoms of polio, including fever, muscle weakness, headache, nausea, and vomiting.

In some cases, polio can infect a person’s brain and spinal cord, causing permanent paralysis (cannot move parts of the body) or even death. Between 2 and 10 out of 100 people who have paralysis from polio die because the virus affects the muscles that help them breathe. Even people who seem to recover fully can develop new muscle pain, weakness, or paralysis 15 to 40 years later.

 “While it is great to know that a year has passed without poliovirus detected in Rockland’s wastewater however, we must remain vigilant as the virus can spread again if vaccination rates are low.  Make sure you and your family are fully immunized to protect yourself and those around you from polio and other vaccine-preventable infectious diseases,” said County Executive Ed Day.

The only protection from this dangerous disease is immunization. The Rockland County Department of Health encourages unvaccinated residents, those who still need to complete the polio vaccination series or are at high risk for contracting polio even if they have completed the primary series, to get vaccinated.

Visit the Rockland County Department of Health’s website for more information on polio. Learn more about polio immunization, and check polio vaccination rates for children by two years of age by county and zip code.

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