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Just when you think you can take a summer break, you learn that polio is circulating in the U.S. Here’s what we know—and how vaccination can prevent it. Plus, COVID-19 caused many to forget about Zika—but it’s reemerging as a risk. (635 words, 3 minutes, 10 seconds) |
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New polio case was preventable with vaccination
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The CDC recently reported the second case of polio in the United States since the virus was eradicated here in 1979—but it could have been prevented with vaccination. The news: The case was reported in an unvaccinated young man in Rockland County, NY, who experienced paralysis. The version of the virus was genetically similar to that recently discovered in wastewater in New York, London, and Jerusalem, Reuters said.
Wasn’t polio eradicated? “Wild poliovirus” has been eradicated nearly everywhere except for Afghanistan and Pakistan. But the so-called “vaccine-derived” virus, which is apparently at the root of these new cases, "stems from the use of an oral polio vaccine containing weakened live virus," according to Reuters. "After children are vaccinated, they shed virus in their faeces for a few weeks. In under-vaccinated communities, this can then spread and mutate back to a harmful version of the virus." (The oral polio vaccine is not used in the U.S.; the U.S. uses inactivated polio vaccine to reduce the impact of shedding.)
The unvaccinated are at risk, said New York City health officials, pointing to several positive wastewater samples in June and July as evidence of “likely local circulation of the virus.”
The bottom line: vaccination prevents polio. “The risk to New Yorkers is real but the defense is so simple—get vaccinated against polio,” said New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan.
Experts agree the resurgence of poliovirus is driven by lack of vaccination, Reuters said—but COVID-19 caused the largest decline in childhood vaccinations in three decades, per WHO and UNICEF, including in the United States.
With kids heading back to school—and polio circulating again right here in the U.S.—it’s more important than ever to catch up on routine vaccinations.
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A Message from Vaccinate Your Family: Before vaccines, there were more than 500,000 cases of measles reported every year in the U.S. In 2020, there were 13. Let’s keep it that way. We have the power to protect children from dangerous diseases. Do your part by making sure your family is up to date on recommended vaccines – learn more.
More Health Care News: Biopharma Dive: Merck pays startup Orna $150M as ‘circular RNA’ attracts industry interest
“Merck & Co. is delving deeper into RNA drugmaking, announcing on Tuesday a lucrative deal with biotechnology startup Orna Therapeutics that it hopes could lead to multiple new drugs and vaccines.” |
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Zika forgotten – but not gone |
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A few years ago, we feared a Zika pandemic—but research was put on hold during COVID-19, leaving unanswered questions about the virus that can cause serious birth defects, and a continued need to control the so-called yellow fever mosquito.
The news: In Brazil, where the Zika epidemic began in 2015, there were 19,719 probable cases of Zika registered in 2022 by the end of July, and probably many more asymptomatic or misdiagnosed cases, The New York Times reports.
New outbreaks possible: Parts of Brazil and Latin America not already exposed to Zika may be vulnerable, epidemiologist Dr. Albert Ko tells The New York Times.
The risks are high: We don’t know enough about testing and vaccine trials were abandoned during COVID. Meanwhile, babies born in the original outbreak are now seven years old and underserved, a problem that could be exacerbated with a fresh outbreak, The New York Times explains.
Zika is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito—which is also responsible for chikungunya, yellow fever, and dengue fever, according to the World Mosquito Program.
To stop this mosquito from carrying disease, the World Mosquito Program breeds mosquitos infected with Wolbachia, a harmless bacteria carried by 60% of all insects, but not naturally found in Aedes aegypti, according to Nature. The bacteria crowds out dangerous viruses in the mosquitoes, which have been successfully released to breed in the wild.
Biotech is working on solutions to mosquito-borne disease—including gene editing these same mosquitoes to control their reproduction, as well as making infected people smell less attractive to the mosquitoes.
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President Biden’s Wednesday: Continuing summer vacation in Delaware.
What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Recess in the Senate and House. |
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