Polio may have been spreading in New York State earlier than first thought, according to a new report from the CDC.

The CDC says 260 wastewater samples from treatment plants in Rockland and Orange counties were tested for polio, and they discovered a specimen of polio from April in Orange County.

The report also says that according to the New York State Immunization Information System, three-dose polio vaccination coverage among infants and children aged 24 months and under living in Rockland County was 67.0% in July 2020 and declined to 60.3% by August 2022. They say that in some zip codes, immunization is as low as 37.3% in some zip codes.

The national average immunization for children by age 24 months and under was 92.7% among infants born during 2017–2018.

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