Poliovirusโค Detected in โคGermanโ Wastewater, Raising Public Health alert
Berlin, Germany – November 13, 2025 โ- health officials in Germany have confirmed โthe presence of wild poliovirus โขin wastewater โsamples, marking theโ first detection ofโค the virus โฃin the โcountry in over three decades.The discovery, reported โฃby the Robert โKoch Institute, prompts increased surveillance and underscores the ongoing global threat of polioโข despite โฃeradicationโ efforts.
While the risk to the general germanโข population remains low due to high vaccination rates,โข the finding is significant as โitโ signals the potential re-emergence ofโฃ the virus in a region previouslyโค considered polio-free. The โฃlastโค confirmed โฃcase of wild โpoliovirus infection within Germany occurred in 1990, with imported cases from Egypt and India recordedโค in 1992. The current detection necessitates a reassessment โof public โhealth โคstrategies and a renewed focus on maintaining robust vaccination coverage.
Theโ Robert โKoch Institute began wastewaterโค surveillance in late โค2024 โขas โa proactive measure to monitor for โpoliovirus circulation. This technique has become a crucial tool worldwide for tracking the spread of the disease. โฃThe detected strainโ is a rare form of wildโ poliovirus, currently endemicโ onyl โคin Afghanistan andโฃ Pakistan.
A separate, vaccine-derived poliovirus also circulatesโ globally, originating from rare mutations of theโ weakened live viruses used in vaccinations. The Institute โฃemphasizes that the risk of contracting either form of the virus remains “very weak” for most Germans, citing high immunization levels and the isolated nature of the wastewater detections. Authorities continue to analyze samples and monitor โฃfor further spread.