Sullivan County has become the third Hudson Valley location to confirm the presence of the polio virus in its wastewater.
The New York State Department of Health found the polio virus in four wastewater samples, two each in July and August. The virus was previously detected in Rockland and Orange counties”™ wastewater, and in July the first U.S. case of polio in nearly a decade was recorded with an unvaccinated young adult. The virus was also detected in New York City”™s wastewater.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett warned that “one New Yorker paralyzed by polio is already too many” and urged those without polio vaccinations to get inoculated as soon as possible.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
