Pennsylvania DOH issues poliovirus health advisory and recommendations

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is alerting health care providers, laboratories, infection control specialists, and local health departments about these matters regarding poliovirus infection and detection reported in July 2022 in Rockland County, New York:

• An unvaccinated adult with poliovirus infection and acute flaccid paralysis.
• Wastewater detection in adjacent counties.

DOH recommendations
The Pennsylvania DOH is urging health care providers to consider polio as a possible cause of sudden onset of limb, facial, oropharyngeal, or respiratory muscle weakness. This consideration is especially important for:

• People who are not vaccinated against polio.
• People who are under-vaccinated for polio and have traveled to areas with higher risk of polio or who have had contact with such persons.

If you have a clinical suspicion for a case of polio after evaluating a patient, you should contact your local or state health department to discuss the case and to determine testing. The DOH also recommends that you immediately identify and schedule appointments for patients in your practice who are not up to date on the poliovirus vaccine.

Learn more
Review the Pennsylvania DOH health advisory to learn more about poliovirus infection, detection, and prevention.

Questions?
If you have any questions, please call the Pennsylvania DOH at 1-877-PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258) or your local health department.