Despite nearly 80% of New Yorkers being vaccinated against Polio by age 2, a small team from the Centers for Disease Control has arrived in the state to prevent an outbreak.
Health officials say they are concerned after a Rockland County resident was confirmed to have polio. That individual was unvaccinated. However, experts warn that when one case is uncovered – there are likely hundreds of others.
That’s because most don’t show symptoms of polio.
RELATED: Could there be an outbreak in the U.S.? Everything to know about Polio.
The CDC team will help administer vaccines in the impacted area.
The World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 200 polio infections leads to irreversible paralysis. Symptoms can take weeks to appear and include fever, headache, muscle pain and stiffness, as well as vomiting.
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