AUGUST 26, 2022

Low Vaccination Rates Result in New U.S. Polio Case

By Ethan Covey

A case of paralytic poliovirus occurring in a previously healthy, yet unvaccinated, adult in New York with no history of international travel highlights the risks associated with polio, especially as vaccination rates wane.

Although only a single case has been identified, wastewater sampling has found vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) in two neighboring New York counties (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71[33]:1065-1068).

“This is the first case of polio reported in the