However, there is little chance that it will make its way to Canada.
The first case of polio in ten years has been detected in the United States, in the state of New York. The individual likely contracted the disease through contact with a person who received the oral polio vaccine (OPV).
It is important to note that OPV can infect other people because it travels through the body and is excreted in the feces. The person who has received the vaccine can then transmit it via their feces or respiratory secretions since the virus can live in the throat for some time. Considering this, OPV has not been administered for more than twenty years in the United States and Canada. The individual who caused the infection reported in New York could therefore have come from a country where OPV is still given.
The alert was therefore sounded in the State of New York in order to monitor the possible evolution of new cases, as reported by CNN.
A call for vaccination has also been issued for anyone who is not already immune to the disease. Polio was virtually eradicated worldwide following a historic vaccination effort between the 1950s and 1970s. The vaccine has been part of the regular vaccination schedule for children in Quebec for decades.
Despite this alarming news, Dr. Valérie Lamarre, a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases at Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal, believes that this is not a risk for Canada, but we must obviously remain vigilant and promote vaccination among parents of young children, Le Devoir reports.
“We will see these cases appear from time to time. Go get your vaccines, these diseases are preventable,” said Dr. Lamarre.