Polio case confirmed in New York state, health-care providers told to look for more infections

Polio virus, illustration. Each virus particle is composed of a protein coat around a core containing RNA genetic material. This virus infects children and causes the disease poliomyelitis or infantile paralysis.

The New York State Health Department confirmed a case of the disease on Thursday.

According to the state health department, a Rockland County resident tested positive for the disease. The infection was confirmed by the CDC.

State health officials want health-care providers to look for more cases of the disease. The New York case is thought to have started outside the U.S.

According to the state health department, a person who received the oral vaccine may have started the chain of infections. People who get the oral vaccine can spread the virus to other people.

The chain of transmission is thought to have begun abroad because the oral vaccine is no longer given in the U.S. In the U.S., a vaccine is given as a shot in the arm or legs. The vaccine uses a non-replicating strain so it can't be passed on.

All children should get the vaccine. All children must get the shot before they start school.

The symptoms of the flu are similar to the symptoms of the polio. Symptoms can take as long as 30 days to develop, so if you haven't fallen ill yet, you can still spread the virus to others.

In rare cases, it can be fatal. According to the CDC, more than 35,000 people become disabled from the disease every year because of the fear caused by the virus in the 1940's. Parents were afraid to let their children play outside in the summer because of transmission.

The number of infections was reduced by a successful national vaccine campaign in the 50s and 60s. The US was free of the disease by 1979.

The United Kingdom declared a national incident in June after discovering the disease in London. The sewage samples in the U.K. tested positive for a strain of vaccine-causing viruses.