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.
Polio, a potentially disabling virus that’s long been forgotten in many parts of the world, is now circulating in parts of the U.S. and U.K., on the heels of an outbreak in Israel. Medical experts say it’s a wake-up call that the virus still poses a threat to anyone who remains unvaccinated.
Winnipeg polio survivor Wes Hazlitt fears an increase in cases because of fewer vaccinations, and he cannot imagine seeing thousands of children on ventilators because of a preventable disease.