New York polio case is the 'tip of the iceberg,' hundreds of others could be infected, health official says - CNBC

Hundreds could have polio after an adult in the New York City metro area caught the virus and suffered paralysis last month, the state's top health official said this week.

New York state Health Commissioner Mary Bassett warned that the confirmed polio case in an unvaccinated adult, coupled with the detection of the virus in sewage outside the nation's largest city, could indicate a bigger outbreak is underway.

New York state health officials confirmed last month that an unvaccinated adult in Rockland County had caught polio and was hospitalized with paralysis.

"These findings provide further evidence of local — not international — transmission of a polio virus that can cause paralysis and potential community spread, underscoring the urgency of every New York adult and child getting immunized," the New York State Department of Health said.

previously confirmed a case in 2013, according to state health officials.