Polio virus detected in London waters

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Just like has affirmed According to the World Health Organization and British health officials, a type of vaccine-derived poliovirus has been detected in sewage samples from London. Further analysis is currently underway.

The “good thing”, if there is any good in this news, is that no human cases of polio have so far been found in Britain, a crippling disease that was completely eradicated two decades ago. According to a WHO statement:

Vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) has been found in environmental samples from London. It is important to note that the virus has been isolated only from environmental samples, and no associated cases of paralysis have been detected. However, any form of poliovirus anywhere is a threat to children everywhere.

The truth is that there has been a huge global effort in recent decades that has come close to eradicating polio, a disabling and life-threatening viral disease that mainly affects children under five years of age. The wild version of the virus now exists only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the researchers say, but a type of vaccine containing small amounts of weakened but live polio still causes occasional outbreaks elsewhere.

Currently, the oral polio vaccine (OPV) replicates in the intestine and can be transmitted to others through water contaminated with faeces, which means that it will not harm the child who has been vaccinated, but could infect their neighbors in places where hygiene and immunization levels are low. According to polio eradication expert Kathlene O’Reilly:

The discovery in London sewage samples suggests there may be localized spread of the poliovirus, most likely among people who are not up to date on their polio vaccinations. The most effective way to prevent further spread is to check vaccination histories, especially of young children, to verify that the polio vaccine is included.