CDC to expand wastewater testing for poliovirus - Healio

The CDC said Wednesday that it volition grow wastewater investigating for poliovirus successful definite U.S. jurisdictions, including Michigan and Philadelphia.

The announcement comes months aft officials raised alarm implicit a lawsuit of vaccine-derived polio successful New York authorities and the detection of poliovirus successful wastewater successful galore New York counties, which landed the U.S. connected a small database of countries with circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus.

The CDC said Wednesday that it volition grow wastewater investigating for poliovirus successful definite U.S. jurisdictions, including Michigan and Philadelphia. Source: Adobe Stock

New wastewater investigating for poliovirus volition statesman successful jurisdictions covered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Philadelphia Department of Public Health. The CDC said it was having “preliminary discussions with prime different authorities and section wellness departments” astir adding wastewater investigating the CDC said successful a statement.

“The findings from CDC’s strategical wastewater investigating effort volition assistance jurisdictions prioritize vaccination efforts successful identified communities of concern,” the bureau said. “Wastewater investigating volition hap successful definite counties with perchance debased polio vaccination coverage, oregon counties with imaginable connections to the at-risk New York communities that are linked to a azygous lawsuit of paralytic polio successful Rockland County, New York. Once initiated, investigating volition past astatine slightest 4 months.”

The CDC clarified that investigating for poliovirus is antithetic from investigating for different pathogens, such arsenic COVID-19.

“Poliovirus wastewater investigating is not routinely oregon broadly recommended, and determination are strict laboratory information requirements,” they said. “However, the strategical usage of wastewater investigating successful a constricted fig of at-risk communities tin assistance find if poliovirus is contiguous successful different parts of the United States and tin beryllium utilized to people vaccination efforts to rapidly amended section polio vaccination sum if needed. Over the adjacent fewer months, the CDC volition assistance the selected jurisdictions successful investigating wastewater and volition enactment them successful responding to affirmative wastewater detections and improving vaccination rates if requested.”

José R. Romero, MD, manager of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, encouraged radical to get vaccinated.

“Wastewater investigating tin beryllium an important instrumentality to assistance america recognize if poliovirus whitethorn beryllium circulating successful communities successful definite circumstances,” said Romero, a Healio Pediatrics Peer Perspective Board Member. “Vaccination remains the champion mode to forestall different lawsuit of paralytic polio, and it is critically important that radical get vaccinated to support themselves, their families and their communities against this devastating disease.”