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The state health department said analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the presence of polio in four samples that were collected in Sullivan County.
Two of the samples were collected in July and the rest were collected in August, officials said.
- Earlier Report: Polio Virus Identified In Wastewater Samples Taken In Two Locations In Orange County
Polio has already been found in 43 samples in Orange and Rockland counties, as well as New York City, which the health department said raises concerns about potential community spread.
The Sullivan County cases are genetically linked to that of an unvaccinated person in Rockland County who suffered paralysis after contracting the virus in July 2022, officials said.
The health department said the findings underscore the importance of every adult and child to get vaccinated against the virus.
Polio is a highly contagious, viral disease that can affect the nervous system and cause muscle weakness.
It typically enters the body through the mouth, usually from hands contaminated with fecal matter of an infected person.
Respiratory and oral-to-oral transmission through saliva may also occur, officials said.
Symptoms of polio include fatigue, fever, headache, stiffness, muscle pain, and vomiting, and can take up to 30 days to appear, during which time an infected person can be transmitting the virus to others.
Health officials said while rare, some polio cases can result in paralysis or death.
Once considered one of the most feared diseases in the country, polio was virtually eliminated from the US following the development of vaccines in the 1950s.
More information about polio and vaccination clinics can be found on the Department of Health’s website.
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