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New York Reports First U.S. Polio Case in Almost a Decade

The case in Rockland County was confirmed by the New York State Health Department.

New York has identified a case of polio in Rockland County, the first in the U.S. in almost a decade, the New York State Health Department confirmed Thursday. Polio has been eliminated in the U.S. since 1979 due to the success of the vaccine, according to the CDC, but travelers sometimes bring the virus into the country. The health department said this case likely originated outside of the U.S. because it appears to have been spread by someone who got the oral polio vaccine, which is not using in the United States. The oral vaccine contains a mild strain of the live virus that can spread when someone gets the shot. Polio is a disease caused by the polio virus that can induce paralysis and death, and symptoms include fever, vomiting, stiff neck and limb pain, the CDC said. The virus easily spreads by people ingesting infected fecal matter, including through sneezing, coughing, food and water, according to the CDC.