The Digester

Polio was driven nearly to extinction in the U.S. by routine vaccination, but recent detections of vaccine derived poliovirus in wastewater and one U.S. case show the disease can return where vaccination gaps exist; sustaining high vaccine coverage and surveillance is the best defense.

Polio was essentially eliminated in the United States after routine vaccination, but the virus still circulates in parts of the world.
In 2022 health officials identified a vaccine derived poliovirus case in New York and detected related virus in wastewater, showing it can reappear where immunity is low.
The United States uses the inactivated polio vaccine which cannot cause vaccine derived infections and provides strong protection after the full childhood series.
Risk of outbreaks is concentrated in pockets of underimmunized people, especially unvaccinated children and some clustered communities.
Wastewater and clinical surveillance help detect poliovirus circulation early and trigger targeted vaccination responses.
Maintaining high vaccination coverage and prompt public health action are the primary ways to keep polio from returning at scale in the U.S.

How safe is America from polio?

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