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First U.S. case of polio in nearly a decade recorded in New York man

New York health officials say that a young adult in the US state has become the first resident in nearly a decade to contract polio.
The unnamed patient in Rockland County is said no longer to be contagious, but has developed paralysis from the virus, the BBC rported.
Officials say the person was unvaccinated, and was probably exposed to an individual who received a vaccine that contains the weakened live virus.
The last known US case of the highly contagious virus was recorded in 2013, according to the BBC.
Once feared across the nation, the disease was largely eradicated by a national vaccination campaign that began in 1955.
Annual cases quickly fell from fewer than 100 in the 1960s to fewer than 10 in the 1970s - and the US was declared polio-free by 1979.

In the decades since, isolated cases of polio infection have been brought into the country by foreign travellers.
Mostly affecting children, the virus causes muscle weakness and paralysis, and in the most serious cases permanent disability and death.
According to vaccination data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans are typically vaccinated with a three- or four-dose regimen that begins at two months old. About 93% of toddlers have received at least three doses of the polio jab.
Pakistan reports first poliovirus case in nearly 15 months
But whereas the US and other countries use jabs made with an inactivated version of the virus, some countries orally administer a vaccine that uses the virus in a weakened live form.
That weakened virus may, in rare instances, mutate and risk a fresh outbreak.
Like the patient in Rockland County, the last reported polio case in the US - a seven-month-old child who moved from India to the state of Texas in 2013 - was a vaccine-derived strain.
The news has prompted local officials to schedule vaccination clinics in New York state for Friday and Monday.
Malawi detects first case of wild poliovirus in Africa in more than five years
"We want shots in the arms of those who need it," Rockland County health commissioner Dr Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said at a Thursday news conference.
It should be noted that Polio is endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but has also recently been reported in other parts of the world.
Source: BBC
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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