A previously common disease that can cause paralysis or even death has made a shocking and worrying resurgence in the UK two decades after the last case.
The UK has declared a “national incident” after fragments of a debilitating disease, long thought to be essentially eliminated, resurfaced in the wastewater samples.
Routine wastewater monitoring in parts of London found traces of the polio virus, commonly known simply as polio.
In most cases, those who contract polio can prevent the disease. But rarely can the virus cause paralysis in some muscles, including those used for breathing, which can be life-threatening.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Wednesday that there was likely to have been “some spread” of a poliovirus “like a vaccine” in the UK.
The last time the UK saw the spread of so-called wild polio was in 1984. The country was declared free of polio in 2003.
Only a handful of countries, including Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan, still see common cases of polio.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said WHO “is supporting the UK” in tackling transmission.
The recurrence of poliomyelitis comes just months after the monkeypox virus also returned to Europe.
“We are urgently investigating to better understand the scope of this transmission and the National Health Service (NHS) has been asked to promptly report any suspected cases to the UKHSA, although no reports have been reported so far. nor confirmed any case, ”the UKHSA consultant epidemiologist said. Dr. Vanessa Saliba.
Poliomyelitis has been found in wastewater samples
In February, a regular sample was taken from the Beckton water treatment plant in East London, which processes the waste of up to four million Londoners.
Occasional positive signs of poliomyelitis are rare but not unusual. They are often due to the fact that someone has received the live oral polio vaccine abroad and then arrived in Britain.
However, a new detection of a poliovirus related to the same plant occurred in April. Subsequent tests have continued to detect the presence of the virus which has been classified as vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2).
The vaccine-derived poliovirus is produced because the oral vaccine contains the weakened live virus that people can eliminate for several weeks. Rarely can this be passed on to others.
The UK-administered polio vaccine does not contain the live virus, so authorities suspect the cases are derived from someone arriving in Britain.
Low risk but vax rates are falling
Health officials have stressed that the overall risk of contracting polio is low, mainly because vaccination levels in the UK remain high.
“The majority of the UK population will be protected from childhood vaccination, but in some communities with low vaccine coverage, people may remain at risk,” Dr Saliba said.
There is concern, however, as child vaccination rates have been falling across the UK and more in parts of London in recent years.
The virus can be transmitted by someone who does not wash their hands after going to the bathroom and then touches food or water consumed by others. Even more rarely, coughing and sneezing can transmit polio.
Most people who get polio will not even know they have it with some flu-like symptoms.
In a small number of cases, however, the virus can attack the nervous system, which in turn can cause paralysis in the legs and other muscles, including those used for breathing.
“Most Londoners are fully protected against polio and will not have to take any further action, but the NHS will start contacting parents of children under the age of 5 in London who are not up to date with their polio vaccines. invite them. to protect themselves, “said NHS chief nurse in London Jane Clegg.