The media is reporting on how wild poliovirus is circulating because of a very rare circumstance where the disease can spread from oral vaccines containing live versions of the disease. The reports detail the timeline of the New York case and other polio-related news.
AP: Polio in US, UK, Israel reveals rare oral vaccine risk In a surprising twist in the decades-long effort to eradicate the virus, authorities in Jerusalem, New York and London have uncovered evidence that polio ‘is spreading there. The original source of the virus? The oral vaccine itself. Scientists have long known about this extremely rare phenomenon. This is why some countries have switched to other polio vaccines. But these accidental infections from oral formula are becoming more glaring as the world moves closer to eradicating the disease and the number of polio cases caused by the wild or naturally circulating virus plummets. (Cheng, 8/21)
Nature: Rising polio outbreaks around the world have scientists on alert. Wild poliovirus only circulates in two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, where nine cases had been reported this year as of June. But vaccine-derived poliovirus appears periodically elsewhere, especially in Africa and Asia. These cases stem from a widely used oral vaccine that contains live, weakened viruses that sometimes mutate into a dangerous form capable of infecting the nervous system. (Ledford, 8/22)
Learn more about the spread of polio
Becker’s Hospital Review: A Timeline Of New York’s Polio Case New York State confirmed the first case of polio in the United States in nearly a decade on July 21 in an unvaccinated man in Rockland County. Health experts have called for vaccinations among the unvaccinated, as some states have rates below 90%. Below is a timeline from the initial wastewater sample collections to the current ongoing case investigation. (Gleeson, 8/22)
The Wall Street Journal: Polio vaccines demanded in New York as virus hides once defeated New York officials are urging pediatricians and parents to update patients on polio vaccinations as the evidence suggests the infectious and potentially debilitating poliovirus was present in the state as early as April. (Abbott, 8/22)
MSN: Melrose Polio Survivor Urges Everyone to Get Vaccinated After Possible Spread in New York A local polio survivor is urging everyone to get vaccinated after the nation detected its first case of the virus in nearly a decade on last month “It was painful and I couldn’t do a lot,” Patricia Hughes said. The Melrose resident was just five years old when she was diagnosed with polio in 1955. The virus, which can cause paralysis, weakened her muscles, making it difficult for her to walk. (Chan, 8/22)
Axios: Polio, monkeypox fall out of Philadelphia sewage monitoring Since polio was found in sewage samples in New York last month, health officials have tracked the virus since sewer systems from two southeastern counties, Rockland and Orange, to New York City. But detecting viruses like polio won’t be so easy in Philly. (From Onofrio, 8/22)
Reuters: Fact Check- Polio is not called Guillain-Barré syndrome, nor is it a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccines Poliovirus has never been renamed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and is not a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccines. Poliovirus infection can cause GBS, but incidents are rare, one expert told Reuters, while two others went further and said it does not cause GBS. (8/22)
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a roundup of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.