Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Polio surveillance uncovers new evidence of community spread in New York
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Aug 4, 2022
Modified Aug 5, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
National Archives
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Aug 4, 2022
Modified Aug 5, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
New evidence suggests polio may be spreading in New York’s Hudson Valley.
The virus was detected in four wastewater samples taken from two different parts of Orange County in June and July, according to the latest analysis from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State health officials shared the findings with the Orange County Department of Health on Tuesday, according to a notice posted on the state health department’s website.
The findings come shortly after the CDC detected polio in Rockland County’s wastewater, where it’s now been found in three sewage samples. The disease was apparently present there in June, the month before a Rockland County resident tested positive for the disease. The seven samples taken from Rockland and Orange counties are all genetically linked to the strain of polio detected in the Rockland County resident, the state health department said in an announcement sent out Thursday evening.
“These environmental findings — which further indicate potential community spread — in addition to the paralytic polio case identified among a Rockland County resident, underscore the urgency of every New York adult and child getting immunized against polio, especially those in the greater New York metropolitan area,” state health officials cautioned in the post.
They said the Rockland County case was found to be genetically linked to similar wastewater specimens found in Jerusalem and London. But the agency clarified that does not necessarily mean the person who contracted the disease traveled to those places.
No cases of polio have been reported in Orange County so far, but the wastewater detection suggests it’s somewhere in the community.
“It is disheartening to see a resurgence of polio, a disease that was largely eradicated long ago,” Dr. Irina Gelman, Orange County’s health commissioner, said in a statement. “It is concerning that polio is circulating in our community, given the low rates of vaccination for this debilitating disease in certain areas of our county.”
State data shows that only 62% of 2-year-olds in Orange County are fully vaccinated against polio, compared with 80% statewide.
This story was updated with additional details released Thursday evening from the New York State Department of Health.
Tagged
new york
orange county
polio
rockland county
Caroline Lewis
Caroline Lewis is on the health care beat for WNYC and Gothamist. She has covered COVID, a nurses' strike, the overdose crisis and New York’s marijuana legalization effort, and spent a year investigating patients' medical bills. She always wants to hear about how everyday New Yorkers experience the health system. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
DSNY worker arrested for killing a woman in Brooklyn while driving a garbage truck
A sanitation worker from Staten Island was charged with with failure to yield to a pedestrian for fatally striking Siobhan Lynch last week.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Nov 5, 2026 at 8:18 a.m. ET
Brooklyn fire kills 6 people, injures 7 others in Sunset Park, officials said
A lithium-ion battery was found at the scene but the exact cause is unknown, officials said.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
News
Brooklyn fire kills 6 people, injures 7 others in Sunset Park, officials said
A lithium-ion battery was found at the scene but the exact cause is unknown, officials said.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Mamdani pledged support for NYC street vendors. Now they’re facing a crackdown.
By
Liam Quigley
‘Mind-boggling’ killings show persistence of NYC’s domestic violence problem
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Bronx man wakes up to a $39K nightmare after online meetup at hotel, NYPD says
By
Charles Lane
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .