Health
NY declares state of emergency over polio – Chinadaily.com.cn – China Daily
New York has declared a state of emergency as wastewater samples show the poliovirus is spreading across the state.
The emergency declaration issued on Friday by Governor Kathy Hochul expands the network to administer polio vaccinations to include emergency medical services workers, midwives and pharmacists. New York officials said vaccination rates are too low in parts of the state-the current statewide average is about 79 percent.
“On polio, we simply cannot roll the dice,” Mary Bassett, New York’s state health commissioner, said. “If you or your child are unvaccinated or not up to date with vaccinations, the risk of paralytic disease is real. I urge New Yorkers to not accept any risk at all. For every one case of paralytic polio observed, there may be hundreds of other people infected.”
Officials began monitoring wastewater in the state for polio, which is typically found in the fecal matter of an infected person, to track whether the virus is spreading after an unvaccinated man in Rockland County, just north of New York City, contracted the virus in July-the first recorded case in the United States since 2013. He also had paralysis.
The man was infected by the virus that had been shed from someone who received the oral polio vaccine. The oral vaccine is safe, but contains small amounts of weakened live virus that can circulate and strengthen if communities are under-vaccinated.
In August, New York City officials said they had identified polio in the city’s wastewater. On Friday, state health officials announced that they had identified polio in 57 samples collected from wastewater in adjacent counties between May and August. Fifty of them were genetically linked to the case of the Rockland resident.
Polio can cause mild or flu-like symptoms, but the disease can also be disabling and life-threatening. It mainly affects infants and children under the age of 5, but anyone unvaccinated can contract it.
Polio was largely eradicated from the US by vaccinations that began in 1955. By 1979, the US was declared polio-free.
The case from Rockland County has been genetically linked to samples collected from the United Kingdom and Israel, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Genetic sequencing suggests that the virus linked to the New York case has been circulating for as long as a year, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, though not necessarily within the US.
The state of emergency will stay in effect until Oct 9. Health officials set a goal of getting 90 percent of residents vaccinated.
Agencies contributed to this story.
aiheping@chinadailyusa.com
Health
Quebec successfully pushes back against rise in measles cases – CBC.ca
Quebec appears to be winning its battle against the rising tide of measles after 45 cases were confirmed province-wide this year.
“We’ve had no locally transmitted measles cases since March 25, so that’s good news,” said Dr. Paul Le Guerrier, responsible for immunization for Montreal Public Health.
There are 17 patients with measles in Quebec currently, and the most recent case is somebody who was infected while abroad, he said.
But it was no small task to get to this point.
Le Guerrier said once local transmission was detected, news was spread fast among health centres to ensure proper protocols were followed — such as not letting potentially infected people sit in waiting rooms for hours on end.
Then about 90 staffers were put to work, tracking down those who were in contact with positive cases and are not properly vaccinated. They were given post-exposure prophylaxis, which prevents disease, said Le Guerrier.
From there, a vaccination campaign was launched, especially in daycares, schools and neighbourhoods with low inoculation rates. There was an effort to convince parents to get their children vaccinated.
Vaccination in schools boosted
Some schools, mostly in Montreal, had vaccination rates as low as 30 or 40 per cent.
“Vaccination was well accepted and parents responded well,” said Le Guerrier. “Some schools went from very low to as high as 85 to 90 per cent vaccination coverage.”
But it’s not only children who aren’t properly vaccinated. Le Guerrier said people need two doses after age one to be fully inoculated, and he encouraged people to check their status.
There are all kinds of reasons why people aren’t vaccinated, but it’s only about five per cent who are against immunization, he said. So far, some 10,000 people have been vaccinated against measles province-wide during this campaign, Le Guerrier said.
The next step is to continue pushing for further vaccination, but he said, small outbreaks are likely in the future as measles is spreading abroad and travellers are likely to bring it back with them.
Need to improve vaccination rate, expert says
Dr. Donald Vinh, an infectious diseases specialist from the McGill University Health Centre, said it’s not time to rest on our laurels, but this is a good indication that public health is able to take action quickly and that people are willing to listen to health recommendations.
“We are not seeing new cases or at least the new cases are not exceeding the number of cases that we can handle,” said Vinh.
“So these are all reassuring signs, but I don’t think it’s a sign that we need to become complacent.”
Vinh said there are also signs that the public is lagging in vaccine coverage and it’s important to respond to this with improved education and access. Otherwise, microbes capitalize on our weaknesses, he said.
Getting vaccination coverage up to an adequate level is necessary, Vinh said, or more small outbreaks like this will continue to happen.
“And it’s very possible that we may not be able to get one under control if we don’t react quickly enough,” he said.
Health
Pregnant women in the Black Country urged to get whooping cough vaccine – BBC.com
Pregnant women urged to get whooping cough vaccine
Pregnant women in the Black Country are being urged to get vaccinated against whooping cough after a rise in cases.
The bacterial infection of the lungs spreads very easily and can cause serious problems, especially in babies and young children.
The Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) is advising pregnant women between 16 and 32 weeks to contact their GP to get the vaccine so their baby has protection from birth.
The UK Health Security Agency warned earlier this year of a steady decline in uptake of the vaccine in pregnant women and children.
Symptoms of the infection, also known as “100-day cough”, are similar to a cold, with a runny nose and sore throat.
Sally Roberts, chief nursing officer for the ICB, which covers Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall and Sandwell, said anyone could catch it, but it was more serious for young children and babies.
“Getting vaccinated while you’re pregnant is highly effective in protecting your baby from developing whooping cough in the first few weeks of their life – ideally from 16 weeks up to 32 weeks of pregnancy,” she said.
“If for any reason you miss having the vaccine, you can still have it up until you go into labour.”
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk
Health
Measles cases stabilize in Montreal – CityNews Montreal
The number of measles cases has stabilized, according to the Montreal Public Health.
Since March 25, there have been no contaminations reported within the community.
“Our teams have identified all contact cases of measles,” said media relations advisor Geneviève Paradis. “It’s a laborious task: each measles case produces hundreds of contacts.”
All community transmission cases since February 2024 have been caused by returning travelers who were either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.
Currently, there are 18 measles cases in Montreal – with 46 total in Quebec. This according to the April 18 figures from the provincial government.
“With the summer vacations approaching, if you’re travelling, it is essential to check if you are protected against measles,” explained Paradis.
According to Montreal Public Health, a person needs to have received two doses after the age of 12 months to be immunized against the virus.
They’ve launched a vaccination campaign throughout the region, and currently, 11,341 people have been vaccinated against measles in Montreal between March 19 and April 15.
Vaccination is also being provided in schools and at local service points.
“The vaccination operation is under the responsibility of the five CIUSSS of the territory,” concluded Paradis.
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