The Latest Breaking News from Polio

LOS ANGELES — Delays in getting children vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic and antivaccination sentiment in general may be fueling the most serious threat of polio in the U.S. in years, raising alarms from New York to California.

Health officials are calling on the unvaccinated to get their shots immediately

The Scottish health body have said that there are no immediate plans to run a catch up programme in Scotland.

Polio can be transmitted through an infected person coughing or sneezing - or by consuming infected food and water.

NEW YORK — The polio virus has been detected in New York City, health authorities said Friday, a jarring discovery arriving three weeks after the long-defeated virus reemerged in Rockland County north of the city. The potentially deadly virus was detected in sewage samples collected in the city.

The polio virus has been found in New York sewage, but officials are stressing that the highest risk is for people who haven't been vaccinated

Public health officials announced that the polio virus has been detected in the city’s wastewater and urged vaccination.

The highly infectious viral disease can lead to permanent paralysis of the arms and legs and even death in some cases. Health officials are urging people to get vaccinated if they haven't been.

News comes weeks after case of polio was identified in Rockland county, about 30 miles north of New York City

Polio is transmitting between people in parts of London and mutated strains of the virus that can cause paralysis have been detected in sewage, a leading immunisation expert warned on Thursday.

The detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in London and New York is providing another stark reminder of the importance of vaccination and new forms of surveillance, public health experts say.