Polio virus found in London sewer samples

Last Wednesday (22) UK health authorities announced the discovery of the virus. poliomyelitis In samples from a Beckton sewer in Newham, London. The rare disease officially ended in the United Kingdom in 2003, but created an alarming epidemic in various parts of the world in the 1950s – Brazil was certified to eradicate the disease in 1994.

According to the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA), the results of the waste samples revealed the following: type 2 polio virus derived from a vaccine Found between February and May 2022. Therefore, the government is trying to find out if there is any community transfer between residents.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has already been notified, as the issue is considered a national event. In any case, the UKHSA says the risk of transmission is extremely low due to the vaccination of the population, but has asked parents to vaccinate children who are not fully vaccinated against the virus.

Is it polio?

“We are urgently investigating to better understand the scope of this transmission and the NHS. [sistema de saúde britânico] UKHSA consultant epidemiologist Vanessa Saliba was urged to promptly report suspected cases to UKHSA, although no cases have been reported or confirmed so far.”

More importantly, the UK discovers different versions of the polio virus in the sewers at least once a year. This is because traces of the vaccine can appear in the stool of people who have had the oral polio vaccine, but the problem is that scientists have found several infected specimens within a few months.

Currently, polio is a rare virus that can cause problems such as paralysis in unvaccinated people. Despite having eradicated polio in 1994, last year Brazil returned to the high-risk list for the virus to return – low vaccination being one of the main causes.