polio outbreak

Weekly Medical Briefs: 09-15-22

By: Staff 09/16/2022 10:00 am

Weekly Medical Briefs

September 15, 2022

NY State of Emergency on Polio Outbreak
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency on Friday over the growing polio outbreak, in an effort to better equip health care providers with tools to curb the spread of the sometimes disabling virus before it takes further hold in the state.

New York Times – 9/9/22 Sept. 9

Skin Test to Detect Alzheimer’s
A report given at the Alzheimer’s Association Inter-national Conference suggests that a minimally invasive skin test can accurately diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease with accuracy. The test measures factors related to nerve connections in the brain. The chief medical advisor for SYNAPS the company that developed the test stated that when added to other diagnostic methods “tremendously enhance the certainty of making a diagnosis,” of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Health Department Highlights Importance of Polio Vaccination

By: Staff 08/26/2022 11:18 am

Health Department Highlights
Importance of Polio Vaccination

With Polio spreading from a case of a non-vaccinated individual in Rockland County, NY, the Otsego County Department of Health are highlighting the importance of vaccinating local children against this potentially debilitating disease.

‘Polio is a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. The virus spread from person to person and can infect a person’s spinal cord, causing paralysis’ said the department in a press release.

With the school year beginning in less than a month and only 80.43% of the county’s 2-year-old children vaccinated against Polio (compared to 89.43% in Delaware County and 88.84% in Schoharie County) the health department is urging those who are not vaccinated or who have children who are not vaccinated to reach out to a healthcare provider immediately.