16
Aug 2022
US health official issues warning of undiagnosed polio cases
A New York State doctor has warned there could be hundreds or even thousands of undiagnosed cases of polio within the state.
The warning follows a recent announcement that an unvaccinated man had been paralysed by the virus in Rockland County, New York.
Dr Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, Rockland County’s health commissioner, said she was worried about polio circulating undetected in her neighbourhood.
She added “There isn’t just one case of polio if you see a paralytic case. The incidence of paralytic polio is less than one per cent.
“Most cases are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, and those symptoms are often missed.
“So there are hundreds, perhaps even thousands of cases that have occurred in order for us to see a paralytic case.”
Dr Ruppert confirmed that researchers are currently looking a “a linkage” between the New York paralysis case and traces of poliovirus found in wastewater in London and Jerusalem, after genome sequencing was conducted on samples from the three locations.
She said “This is a very serious issue for our global world – it’s not just about New York. We all need to make sure all our populations are properly vaccinated.”
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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