DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Local doctors are encouraging people in central Illinois to check their polio vaccine status in light of the virus spreading in New York.
An unvaccinated person in that state tested positive for the virus in July and then trace amounts of it popped up in New York City's waste water. Anyone vaccinated against the virus should be protected, but unvaccinated populations can be at risk for severe illness, paralysis or even death.
Even with this possible outbreak far away from Illinois, local vaccination rates could determine if polio could ever get a foothold in our area.
"It depends upon how well we are vaccinated in our community," said Dr. Vinil Bhuma, chief medical officer at HSHS St. Mary's Hospital. "Vaccines reduce our risk of infection by working with our body's natural defenses to help safely develop the protection against the disease."
NBC News reports around 93 percent of kids are vaccinated against polio by the age of two. But unvaccinated pockets — like those surrounding the outbreak in New York — remain.
Anyone wishing to check on their polio vaccine status can do so by filing a record request with the Illinois Department of Public Health.
