The Return of Polio

Polio has been detected in New York wastewater following the case of a man infected and paralyzed by the virus in July. How much is the virus circulating and what does that mean for you and young children at greatest risk? Andy speaks with New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett and Stanford Professor of Pediatrics Dr. Yvonne “Bonnie” Maldonado about how a disease eliminated from the Western Hemisphere in 1994 returned and what we must do now.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt.

Follow Dr. Mary Bassett on Twitter @DrMaryTBassett.

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Check out these resources from today’s episode: 

Read Mary’s piece about why even a single case of polio is a threat: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/21/opinion/even-a-single-case-of-polio-is-a-threat.html

Read Bonnie's piece explaining how global health failures that spread COVID and monkeypox also brought polio back: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-08-22/polio-vaccines-united-states-global-health

Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/

Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165 

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For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.