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Dr. Mary T. Bassett issued the warning after officials said wastewater samples had detected the virus in Orange County shortly after officials confirmed a case in neighboring Rockland County in late July, the first time the disease has been seen in the United States in nearly a decade.
"Based on earlier polio outbreaks, New Yorkers should know that for every one case of paralytic polio observed, there may be hundreds of other people infected," Bassett said in a statement. "Coupled with the latest wastewater findings, the Department is treating the single case of polio as just the tip of the iceberg of much greater potential spread."
The Orange County Department of Health said it has been advised by the state health department that the virus was identified in wastewater samples taken from June and July in two geographically different locations in the county.
At the time the Rockland case was identified on Thursday, July 21, Bassett said, "Based on what we know about this case, and polio in general, the Department of Health strongly recommends that unvaccinated individuals get vaccinated or boosted with the FDA-approved IPV polio vaccine as soon as possible.
"The polio vaccine is safe and effective, protecting against this potentially debilitating disease, and it has been part of the backbone of required, routine childhood immunizations recommended by health officials and public health agencies nationwide."
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