EDITORIAL/Don't Take Chances: New York reports first U.S. case of polio in a decade

There was a time when one of the most dreaded diseases in our nation was polio.

Even the word could strike fear in may hearts. For most who contracted the virus, it was no worse than a cold or mild case of the flu. Some had no symptoms at all and never even knew they had polio.

But for others the virus was devastating, resulting in permanent paralysis of varying degrees. Even death.

The virus is commonly transmitted through contaminated water or food. It can also be transmitted by person-to-person contact.

Fortunately, vaccines were developed in the mid-1950s that proved effective against the virus. As schoolchildren were routinely vaccinated, cases decreased. And by 1979 polio was considered eradicated in the U.S..

So for decades now, polio has largely been off the radar for most of us. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there hasn't been a case in this country since 2013.

Until now. This week, a case of polio was reported in Rockland County, New York. The patient, a young adult who had not been vaccinated against the virus, was paralyzed.

Doctors believe the virus was transmitted by someone who was infected outside the U.S., perhaps by a type of "live virus" vaccination not used in this country.

The good news is it's just one case, probably isolated. And that most of us have nothing to worry about in any case. For years now, about 95% of children have been fully vaccinated against polio by the time they go to school.

The bad news is 5% of children -- and those who have grown into adults -- are not vaccinated. And that if this could happen in New York, it could happen anywhere. It could happen in Texarkana.

The great success of vaccines against polio and other childhood diseases comes with a problem -- out of sight, out of mind.

Don't be complacent. Be sure your children are vaccinated. The chance of their being infected by the polio virus is slim. But better safe than sorry. Very, very sorry.

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