What is that Polio Picture? This is not the first Polio outbreak in New York. The 1916 New York City polio epidemic was an infectious diseaseepidemic of polio ultimately infecting several thousand people, and killing over two thousand, in New York City, primarily in the borough of Brooklyn. The epidemic was officially announced in June 1916, and a special field force was assembled under the authority of Dr. Simon R. Blatteis of the New York City Health Department’s Bureau of Preventable Diseases, with broad authority to quarantine those infected with polio and institute hygiene measures thought to slow the transmission of the disease. Polio was a poorly understood disease in this era, and no polio vaccine existed at this time. Official efforts to stem its spread consisted primarily of quarantines, the closure of public places, and the use of chemical disinfectants to cleanse areas where the disease had been present. Special polio clinics were established at various locations in the city for the treatment and quarantine of the patients.
United States Polio Case Update
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has been informed of a case of paralytic polio in an unvaccinated individual in Rockland County, New York, United States.
Following the detection, the Global Polio Laboratory Network has confirmed that the VDPV2 isolated from the case is genetically linked to two Sabin-like type 2 isolates, collected from environmental samples in early June in both New York and greater Jerusalem, Israel. Further investigations – both genetic and epidemiological – are ongoing to determine possible spread of the virus and potential risk associated with these isolates. The young adult developed paralysis and health experts have confirmed the person is no longer contagious. The young adult was not vaccinated and did not report recent travel outside the U.S.
Any form of poliovirus anywhere is a threat to children everywhere!
A Win Against Polio is a Win for Global Health!
2022 Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Case Total – 235 Afghanistan – 43, Algeria – 1, Benin – 2 (3 in 2021), Chad – 9 (0 in 2021), DR Congo – 64 (28 in 2021), Eritrea – 1, Ghana – 1, Israel – 1, Madagascar – 8 (13 in 2021), Mozambique – 1 (2 in 2021), Niger – 8 (18 in 2021), Nigeria – 30 (415 in 2021), Pakistan – 8, Somalia – 2 (1 in 2021), Togo – 1, Yemen – 54 (69 in 2021).
New Polio Cases & Samples This Week – Benin – 1 cVDPV2 Sample, Chad – 1 cVDPV2 Case, DR Congo – 1 cVDPV2 Case, Madagascar – 3 cVDPV1 Cases, Mozambique – 3 WPV1 Cases + 1 cVDPV1 Case – Pakistan – 1 WPV1 Case.
2021 Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Cases -689 in 22 Countries.
2020 Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Cases – 1,113 in 26 countries in 2020.
Quote of the Day
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.“
— Confucius
The Final Two Polio Endemic Countries:
Pakistan
as of 8/5/2022
1 new Polio cases were reported this week.
13 Wild Polio cases – 2022 (1 Wild Polio case, 2021). The most recent case had an onset of paralysis on 5/1/22.
84 Wild Polio cases – 2020.
1 WPV1 or cVDPV2 Positive Environmental Samples were reported this week in Pakistan.
Afghanistan
as of 8/5/2022
0 new Polio cases reported this week.
1 Wild Polio case – 2022, (4 Wild Polio cases, 2021). The most recent cases had an onset of paralysis on 1/11/22.
56 Wild Polio cases – 2020.
0 WPV1 & CVDPV2-Positive Environmental Samples were reported this week in Afghanistan.
Our Goal is Global Polio Eradication!!
Terry Ziegler, Endowment/Major Gifts Adviser Rotary Region 36