The official US addition to the list was announced last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from the United States where the World Health Organization has identified cVDPV. It polio virus Circulating vaccine-derived infection occurs when local immunity to polio virus low enough to allow prolonged transmission of the original attenuated virus in the oral polio vaccine.

As the virus circulates and more genetic changes occur, it can regain its ability to infect the central nervous system and cause paralysis.

Therefore, in a statement, CDC They added: The genetic sequence of the virus from County patients, and waste samples collected in New York have been linked to sewage samples in Jerusalem, Israel and London, England, indicating community transmission. The viral sequences from the patient and from the three waste samples had sufficient genetic changes to meet the definition polio virus derived from the vaccine (VDPV).

Questions arise about polio vaccine

Most importantly, there is no general recommendation that fully vaccinated people look for a polio booster.

But do people who received all doses of the polio vaccine as children now need a booster? And what should you do if you are unsure of your vaccination status or if you know for sure that you have not received the polio vaccine?

“Of course, at this time, there is no national or local recommendation that people who are confident in their childhood vaccination regimen need additional boosters,” said Dr. William Schaffner, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases. . However, he notes that there may be certain circumstances, where it might make sense for someone to seek backup.

Types of polio vaccine

Since 2000, the US has only used the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), an injection that is usually given in the arm or leg and contains polio virus “dead” that cannot cause disease, according to CDC .

Another type of polio vaccine, the oral polio vaccine (OPV), is equally effective, but its use has been discontinued in the US because it contains polio virus alive, but weakened, Live Science previously reported.

The main challenge for health workers is to vaccinate

For now, health officials’ primary concern is vaccinating those who have not completed their polio vaccination series, Schaffner said.

“The polio vaccination is the safest and best way to combat this debilitating disease and it is imperative that people in these communities who are not vaccinated get their polio vaccine immediately,” said Dr. José R. Romero, director of the National Center for CDC.

Vaccines with attenuated viruses

This attenuated virus can be shed in the feces of a vaccinated person and, on rare occasions, can develop into something like polio virus a naturally occurring wild organism capable of causing disease and potentially causing paralysis in unvaccinated people.

Because of this risk, the US now only manages IPV, but polio virus “Derived vaccines” still have the potential to be imported from places where OPV is used, and that is what is happening in the current outbreak. “It reveals how vulnerable we are to imports, not just from polio virusbut from other viruses, germs, from the outside,” said Schaffner.

Recommendations for protecting yourself from polio

To protect against polio, CDC recommends that US children receive four doses of IPV, with one dose given at each of the following ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6-18 months, and 4-6 years

Adults who have never received the polio vaccine should receive three doses of IPV. These people can receive their first dose at any time, receive their second dose one to two months later, and receive their third dose six to 12 months later, the researchers recommend. CDC. Adults who have received only one or two doses in the past should seek additional doses to reach the recommended three.

Most US residents complete their polio vaccination series in childhood, and it is generally not recommended that they receive a booster later in life. “This is just evidence of the very strong lifetime protection you get from the polio vaccine,” said Schaffner.